Layers of the Soul
by Anime-Angel-Ash
Summary: She wanted him dead. She would kill him herself. She thought she knew all she needed to know about him: His name, and that he carried the mark of evil with him. However, she didn't know nearly enough. After all, the soul has many layers. Complete.
1. Prologue

Hello again readers! Well, here's my first Rurouni Kenshin fic, and there's an OC in it! :O I personally never thought it would happen, but it has! Oh, and don't worry. She's not a Mary-Sue. In fact, as you will see in future chapters, I'm taking great pains to make sure she has lotsa flaws.

Disclaimer: I don't not own Rurouni Kenshin. Go whine to Watsuki!

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"No...please..." whined the terrified voice of the merchant. Sweat trickled down his face, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He starred at the black shape above him, feeling the fury of the person's gaze boring into him. "Please! Spare my life!"

The person above him growled angrily, pushing the barrel of the gun further into his temple, making the man whine in fear.

"Pleading for you life??" spat the person in a feminine sounding voice. Along with the fury and revulsion that rang clear in the tone, the voice shook with a gaping sorrow.

"That's what she did, isn't it???" screamed the voice. The gun was pulled from the merchant's head momentarily, and relief rushed over him. However, it only lasted a moment, for the gun soon struck him squarely across the face. He screamed, feeling the bone of his nose snap, warm blood flowing down his face. The coppery tasting liquid hit his tongue, making him both terrified and desperately sick.

"She pleaded for her life didn't she??? She pleaded while you beat her and destroyed her body!!" The gun was soon pressed against the man's head again, even more roughly and painfully than before. The cold metal burned into his skin worse than the hottest iron.

"Who?" the merchant asked weakly, his voice sounding thin and forlorn. "Who is 'she'?"

There was a long moment of total silence where all he could hear was his assailant's erratic breathing. It was quite apparent that the merchant wasn't the only one who was afraid. Moonlight shone into the room via the window, but the girl did not stand within the light's reach. This made only her rough outline visible.

Not saying a word, the girl flipped back the hammer on the gun. The merchant paled; his throat was completely dry, and he couldn't find the strength to scream.

"She," said the girl, her voice still shaking, "was Erika."

At hearing the name, the merchant's eyes widened in realization. "Your know...?" He never finished his sentence however, because that's when the girl pulled the trigger.

The resulting bang echoed through not only the room, but also the entire house, which was quite large. The merchant's thick, lifeless body fell to the floor with a sickening, wet sounding thud. Blood had splashed onto the girl's hands, arms, and face, flecking her skin with small red specks.

Again, the room was silent except for the girl's heavy, irregular breaths. The gun was held limply in her hand, the barrel pointed at the wooden floor. She could not see the body of the man she had just murdered, but, lying in the block of light cast against the floor sat the merchant's hand, palm open, and unmoving. Beside it, a thin stream of blood was beginning to flow into view. The girl starred at it, and in her mind what she had just done became even more real than it had been before. It felt good.

"Ezakiya-san?" said an urgent voice from outside the door, bringing the girl with a jolt back from her thoughts. She spun to look at the door, almost loosing her balance. A fist wrapped against the wood, while a hand jiggled doorknob of the locked door.

"Ezakiya-san! Are you alright?" the voice said, fright obvious in the tone. Panicked, the girl was nearly dropped the gun, but instead tucked it quickly it her pocket.

She could hear a key sliding into the lock as she spun to the window. She pulled herself up on the window frame, and the key turned in the lock. She pushed off the frame, and the doorknob turned.

She hit the ground running, though she ended up stumbling more than running. And, as she flew down the street, putting every ounce of her strength into getting away, she heard a loud, terrified scream.

She threw herself into the space between two buildings, slamming herself against the wooden wall. The impact rattled her spine and caused her bite her tongue, but didn't pay either of them mind. She remained where she was as her breath slowed and her body stopped shaking. She slid to the ground and pulled herself into a ball, rocking back and forth slightly.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed there; she just knew it was long enough for the police to arrive. From her spot in the shadows, she watched policeman on foot and horseback run down the street toward the home of the dead merchant, shouting to each other in frantic bursts of speech. Not a one looked her way, and no one came searching for her.

For a few moments she was relieved; she had done it. She had killed the man who had so wronged her and had gotten away with it.

Yet, something was wrong, and she knew exactly what it was: _He_ was still out there. The man who had plagued her nightmares for the past three years; the man who was the source of everything wrong in her life. _He_ was still alive and free. And, since she didn't know what he looked like, she would never find him.

With that thought, the girl leaned her head against her knees and wept.

* * *

So...yeah. There's the prologue. Sorry if you don't understand it yet, and sorry I haven't put in any of the Kenshingumi yet. Don't worry, Kenshin's in the next chapter. You don't have to R&R this chap if you don't want to, because I know it doesn't have much to do with the Kenshingumi. Still, I'd love it if you did!

Oh, and P.S. Yes, her pocket is big enough to hold a gun.


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting

Well, here's Chapter 1...on the same day I post the prologue. Hm. Well, now you'll have no excuse not to read and review when you're done reading it! Muahahahaha!

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A large sweatdrop appeared on the side of Kenshin's head as he looked at the list in his hand. "Are you really sure you need all this Kaoru-dono?" he asked, his eyes wide. "It is already evening. Are you sure you need these things now?"

That had been a half hour before, and Kenshin now found himself walking along the streets of Tokyo. The crowd was quickly thinning, spilling into houses and separate streets, making travel much easier. He sighed as he looked over the list again, and then tucked it inside his gi. He hoped that at least one market was still open. Kaoru-dono would be displeased if he returned empty handed.

The rurouni stepped onto the large wooden bridge overlooking the river, the boards below his feet creaking with the strain. He looked back and forth across the bridge, watching as people passed by, some laughing and joking as they went. The sight made the rurouni smile before continuing on his way. However, as he passed one pair of women, her heard something that wiped the smile cleanly from his face.

"Did you hear about the body the police found in the river a few days ago?" asked the taller of the two women, who wore an aqua blue kimono and carried a basket of vegetables.

The smaller woman, who carried a jug of soy sauce on her hip, nodded in response. "Quite disturbing really, all broken up like it was. Didn't they say it was a woman?"

"From what I recall, yes."

"And those wounds of hers were fresh. She must have been killed that morning!"

"It makes you a bit nervous to be out at night..."

On queue, the two women turned their heads to the left and right, then slide closer together before they continued walking.

Kenshin watched them out of the corner of his eye as he walked on, remembering what he had heard about this same incident. Only a few days earlier, a woman's body had been found washed ashore by the current. The parts of the body that weren't broken or bloody were severely bruised, indicating that it hadn't been an accidental death. She had to have been thirty-five or so at most, but it was hard to tell which her body mangled as badly as it was. Kenshin sped up his walk some, intent on getting back to the dojo as fast as possible.

Then, as he reached the center of the bridge, he noticed something. A girl was standing by the railing of the bridge, standing rigidly, staring off into the landscape of the city beyond. She wore a simple gi and hakama, much like the one Kaoru used while training. She appeared to be around twelve, for her figure wasn't all that shapely. She looked foreign, for her hair was an uncommon shade of brown, and her eyes were wider than the traditional Asian. It was these eyes that attracted Kenshin's attention. They were fogged and cloudy, as if she were in deep thought. Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks, staining her collar. However, the rest of her body was completely stationary.

Kenshin kept an eye on her as he passed by, his curiosity momentarily sparked by the young woman. However, all thoughts about her quickly ceased as he pulled the list from his gi once more and headed into the market, which was just beginning to close down for the night.

When Kenshin left the market laden down with Kaoru's groceries, the heavens had completely blackened. Stars dotted the sky, which was unmarred by clouds. The moon, though only half its full size, shone brightly. The beams cast long, eerie shadows across the packed dirt roads, making the once busy street seem almost unearthly in the wake of night. The fact that very little light came through the dimmed windows added to the effect.

As he walked across the bridge, Kenshin's eyes widened in surprise to see the girl from earlier still standing exactly where she had been before. She still stood directly upright, starring off into the darkness. She made no sound, and, as before, did not move. However, there was one difference to her: her tears were gone and the fog had almost entirely lifted from her eyes.

"Miss?" asked Kenshin, taking a step toward the girl. "Are you all right?"

If the girl heard him speak, she did not acknowledge it. Instead, she tilted her head downward to stare at the railing. Her hair shifted and swished, blocking her face from Kenshin's view. She placed her hand on the wood, brushing her palm across it momentarily. Then, she slowly pulled herself up onto the railing and stood. Kenshin took another step forward, worried that the aged wood might snap under the girl's weight. However, much to his relief, it held steady.

The girl remained there for a few moments, a warm breeze lifting up her brunette hair and tugging at her clothes. Then, to the watching rurouni's horror, she spread her arms out to the side, closed her eyes, and fell.

"Iie!" Kenshin yelled, dropping the groceries onto the bridge's wooden planks. With the godlike speed that came to define the rurouni, he bolted for the edge of the bridge. Barely a moment after the girl had fallen, Kenshin was leaning over the railing, her wrist clamped tightly in his hand.

"Nani???" yelled the girl in surprise, starring up at Kenshin. The surprise however, quickly turned into rage. "What are you doing???" she shouted, she voice sounding slightly raspy. "LET GO OF ME!!!" She clamped her hand over his, attempting to pry his fingers from her wrist. However, her strength was nothing compared the swordsman's, and he easily held on.

"This one can't do that." Said Kenshin as the girl struggled to free herself. "That would be fatal to you Miss, that it would." Kenshin then pulled the girl up over the railing, back onto the bridge. It wasn't an easy task, for she was quite a bit heavier than he. Her struggling didn't help much either. Despite both of these however, she was back on the bridge in a few moments' time.

As the girl got to her feet, she spun backwards, intent on delivering a back fist to the rurouni's head. However, Kenshin pulled back just enough for the girl to miss. She over shot and lost her balance, but easily caught herself on the railing.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT??" she screamed, tears streaming down her face again. "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME BE AND LET ME DIE???" Again, the girl came at him, still intent on marring him, but Kenshin easily caught her fist and held onto it tightly.

"It would not do for this one to just stand back and watch..." Using his other hand, Kenshin caught her other fist, which had been on a direct path for his face. "The days of the samurai are over. Suicide is hardly justified."

The girl shouted in frustration, ripping her fists from his grasp. Kenshin expected her to attempt to strike him again, but, much to his surprise, she did not. Instead, she fell against him, crying into his shoulder, her body shaking with every raking sob.

"Oro?" he said, starring at the girl as a large sweatdrop formed on his head. She attempted to speak, but he couldn't very well decipher what she was trying to say. He patted her on the head awkwardly, trying his best to comfort her.

"I don't know what to do," she choked out between sobs (though Kenshin had to strain to hear it correctly). "I have nowhere to go!"

Kenshin waited a few more minutes, saying nothing, listening to the girl's jumbled speech. Throughout the ordeal, he noticed that she switched between languages. Half the time he could understand bits and pieces of words, only for her to switch to a language that he couldn't even begin to understand. By the time she finally calmed down, his gi was completely soaked through with her tears.

"Here," said Kenshin, talking the girl's hand from his shoulder and grasping it. He led her back to the spot where he left the groceries and calmly gathered them as the girl watched. Then, he stood, smiling warmly at her. "Come with me."

"Where?" the girl asked cautiously, sniffing and wiping her nose with her sleeve.

"You said you had no place to go." Said Kenshin, taking her hand and leading her across the bridge. "Have you ever heard of the Kamiya Dojo?"

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A/N: Well, that's chapter one. Nothing important to say right now, except of course, for the second time this chapter, R&R! You can even flame if you want to. That way, I will have a nice fire to keep me warm as I write more chapters! 


	3. Chapter 2: Connection

Here I am, back with chapter 2. Fortunately, yet unfortunately for me, I had a stroke of brilliance right after I put the first chapter out. I made a simple change to prologue to make it fit: I changed Kazue's wardrobe. She instead wears a hakama and gi. Besides, it can't be easy to run in a kimono. And, as you will all soon realize, she can't afford a kimono. ;;

Oh, and I changed one word in chapter one. I changed "Seppuku" to just regular old suicide. My friend informed me that Seppuku is stabbing yourself through the stomach and having someone cut your head off. Oo Who knew it was so specific?? Not me. Good thing I have friends who do.

Oh, and I give a shout out to Whiterabbit and RabidTurtle, my first and only reviews. You guys are awesome! ;;

Disclaimer: I'd run RK straight into the ground if I owned it, so be glad I don't.

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"She's asleep," whispered Kaoru, as she quietly slid the door opened and stepped out. Kenshin, who was leaning against the wall beside the door, turned to her.

"She didn't even give you her name?" Kaoru asked as she slid the door shut again, careful not to wake the sleeping girl inside. Kenshin shook his head.

A while before, Kenshin had returned with the girl, who had basically been asleep on her feet. Kaoru, who was getting use to having strange visitors in her home, didn't question Kenshin. It wasn't the right time for questions. Instead, she gave the girl a place to sleep. But, now that the girl was asleep, it WAS the right time to ask questions.

"I still don't understand why she has to sleep in MY room," said a drowsy and grumpy Yahiko, who stood next to the Kenshin, his hair rumpled and messy. However, Kaoru casually ignored the boy's complaint, and he contented himself with muttering obscenities at her.

"She was really trying to kill herself?" Kaoru asked cautiously. "Has she said why?" Again, Kenshin shook his head.

"She spoke very little that this one could understand." He said. "She did not say her name, or anything of the sort." His eyes narrowed slightly as he ran the strange meeting through his mind once again. "All that I could understand was, 'I don't know what to do,' and 'I have nowhere to go.'"

"What nationality is she?" asked Kaoru suddenly. Kenshin turned to face her.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"She does not look Japanese." Said Kaoru, looking back at the door to the room. "She's as tall as you and me, but she doesn't look very old." Kenshin nodded in response.

"When she was speaking to me, I believe she alternated languages." He said as he looked at the floor, concentrating. "I remember her saying some very strange words that I've never heard before...she even made sounds I've never heard anyone make."

"Her eyes are big." Yahiko interjected simply. Kaoru and Kenshin both turned to look at the boy, waiting for him to go on. Yahiko was looking at the floor, much like Kenshin had been, his eyes half closed. After a moment, he could feel the duo's gazes burning into him, and he looked at them both with an annoyed expression.

"What?" he barked, obviously somewhat grumpy from being woken up like he had. "Even with her eyes closed you can tell. They're a lot and wider than a normal person's."

Kenshin nodded, holding his chin with his thumb. Though Yahiko's observation was rather blunt, it was true, even useful. "Hmmm..." he said as he pondered. "Well...we should wait until she wakes. She'll be able to tell us better than anyone else, that she will."

The sun began to peak out from behind the eastern sea. The reflection of the fiery orb stretched across the glistening ocean, and tinted the clouds above orange and pink. As it began its ascent into the sky, its light crawled over the island terrain of Japan, slowly bringing day to the country.

The sunlight soon found its way over Kantou and Tokyo, where it shown through the windows of the Kamiya Dojo. Inside, the brown-haired girl stirred, her sleep disturbed by the light shining over her face.

"Uunn," she groaned, pushing a good bit of hair away from her eyes. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and turned her head back and forth, looking at her surroundings. As she did, an immense amount of confusion took over her mind.

"W-where am I?" she wondered aloud, sitting up and pulling her blanket to her chest. She slowly stood and walked to the window, looking out at the landscape beyond. Unfortunately, the outside, just like the inside, was unrecognizable.

"Ohayo gozaimasu Miss." Said a voice behind her, making the girl shriek in surprise. She spun in a circle, got her feet caught in the blanket and tumbled to the ground with an "ack!"

Kenshin, who stood in the doorway, sweatdropped as the girl scrambled to her knees and pushed herself against the wall.

She blinked, starring at him, and after a few moments said, "I-it's you..." she pointed at him as she spoke, details of the night before slowly filling her mind. "The man who stopped me from falling..."

Kenshin nodded and smiled at her. "That this one is Miss."

The girl starred at him for another moment, then slowly looked down at the floor. "So it wasn't just a dream..." she muttered under her breath.

Quietly and gracefully, Kenshin moved from the door, crossed the room, and knelt before the girl. "Would you mind coming with this one Miss?" he said kindly, holding his hand out to her. "This one would like you to meet Kaoru-dono and Yahiko-kun."

The girl blinked at him curiously, much like a child would do. "Dare?" she questioned, taking Kenshin's hand and letting him pull her to her feet. He released her hand and signaled her to come with him.

"This one's friends." He said as he exited the room, the girl right behind him.

"So," said Kaoru, leaning against the wall of the training hall. Her forehead was coated with a thin layer of sweat, and her gi hung loosely on her shoulders, exposing the wrap beneath it. "Her name is Kazue."

"It seems so," replied Kenshin, who stood next to her. The introductions had already been made, and the girl- now known as Kazue- was sitting against the wall outside on the walkway, her chin on her knees, starring at the gate. A shinai, which she had pulled off the wall, leaned lazily on her shoulder. Every once in a while, she would run the end across the floor, prodding at the base of the roof supports.

"Why didn't you ask her why she jumped off the bridge?" asked Kaoru as she replaced her own shinai on the wall. "That is what we want to know, right?"

Kenshin nodded, and then responded with, "True, but it is probably best not to ask right now. Whatever inner wounds she's suffering from are still fresh. Questioning about her intentions would most likely reopen them, that it would."

As the day wore on and the sun slowly rose higher and higher into the sky, the residents of the Kamiya Dojo came and went as they pleased, passing by Kazue more that once. However, the girl never looked up, never acknowledged any of them as they passed by. Yahiko spoke to her once, attempting to get her attention, but it was in vain. She was no longer crying, but her face was still a mask of fear, sadness, and confusion. Kenshin also noticed the mist had returned to her eyes.

As shadows began to adorn the grass and the sun sat upon the dojo's roof, the gate opened, and Kazue finally looked up from the floor.

"Oi! Kenshin!" called Sanosuke as he shut the gate behind him. "You here??"

Kazue blinked and starred at the 19-year-old as he walked toward the front entrance. She tilted her head to one side, curiosity shinning in eyes that had been cloudy only moments before.

Kenshin slid the door to the dojo open, smiling as he spotted the man. "Konnichiwa Sano." Sano nodded and smiled his trademark smile in response. As he walked up the step onto the walkway, he caught sight of Kazue staring at him. The girl did not flinch nor turn away. Instead, she continued to stare.

Sano raised an eyebrow at her momentarily before following Kenshin into the dojo and shutting the door behind him.

"So there was another murder last night?" asked Kenshin. He was sitting on the floor of the dojo, the sakabato resting against his shoulder. Sano, who stood next to him, leaning against the wall, nodded.

"Yep." He responded, chewing on the fish skeleton between his teeth. "The guy's name was Ezakiya Akahito. He was a rich merchant who used to live in Kyoto. Apparently his old man had made a decent pile of cash from selling weaponry during the Bakumatsu. Then all the sudden, the old guy 'mysteriously' disappeared, and they found him dead a few days later. So, Ezakiya Jr. got the money and moved to Tokyo."

Sano looked up from his story and smiled knowingly and Kenshin. "A little suspicious eh?" Kenshin responded with a solemn nod.

"So anyway, last night one of his servants said she heard a gunshot go of in his room. When she got the door open, she found the guy dead with a bullet lodged in his brains. Lovely visual right?

"The murderer musta' been pretty stupid though, cause he left a trail of bloody footprints halfway down the damn street. They didn't catch him though, whoever he was."

"How did you find out about this?" asked Kenshin, looking up at the spiky-haired man. "Was the body not found this morning?"

Sano nodded. "Yeah. I heard about it down at the roughen row. Seems a few guys are intent on ran shaking the place." Sano shook his head at this. "Dumb bastards."

"Do the police have any clues as to who the murderer might be?" Kenshin asked, shifting positions as he spoke. Sano thought for a minute before replying.

"Well, the police don't really have any solid leads, but there were some thugs at the row who seem to think they know.

"Apparently this guy had a mistress. Well, actually, she was less of a mistress and more of a personal whore. Her name was Akechi Erika or something like that. She'd been 'working' for Ezakiya for the past few years, and stealing some money on the side. Course, one of the servants caught her a little while back."

At this, Sano paused, then turned to face Kenshin. "Guess who's body that was floating in the river the other day?"

Kenshin starred back, his eyes serious, yet not Battosai-esque. "So the assumption is that Ezakiya was the one who murdered her?"

"Yep. Right on the money. So it makes sense that whoever killed Ezakiya was somehow related to Akechi.

"Problem is, Akechi didn't talk very much." Sano continued, adjusting the fish skeleton some. "Nobody knows anything about her. I doubt she had a lover, thanks to her work. Plus, she didn't have any kids, at least as far as I know."

"Did she have any other family?"

"Couldn't tell ya."

Kenshin sighed and shook his head. Such a tangled web that had been woven. It would be so much easier if no one murdered anyone, but that was of course an impossible wish.

The two grew silent, obviously having no more to say on the subject. Kenshin heard the door slide open and looked up to see Kazue step inside, the shinai propped up against her shoulder. She closed the door behind her and made her way toward where the other shinai were placed, most likely to return the one she held to its proper place.

Sanosuke however, took no notice of her. In fact, he apparently didn't even realize she had entered the room, for that is when he turned to Kenshin and asked, "Hey, by the way, who's that twelve-year-old girl outside? She a girlfriend of Yahiko's or somethin'?"

Kenshin opened his mouth to answer, but paused when he heard a strange sound. Sano stood in the way, so Kenshin couldn't see the source, but he assumed it was some sort of animal, because the noise sounded just like a fervent growl. Then...

CRACK!

Kenshin jumped back in surprise when a shinai smashed over the top of Sanosuke's head, accompanied by a rabid, furious scream. Kenshin attempted to dodge it, but the end of the shinai that had been broken off hit him squarely in the face.

Sano blinked several times, rather shocked. A large knot was already forming on his head where he had been hit. He slowly turned around to see a livid Kazue right behind him (though he didn't know that was her name at the time). Her teeth were bared, her eyes were flaming, and what remained of the shinai was held tightly in her white-knuckled hands.

"I AM NOT TWELVE YEARS OLD!!" she screamed, waving the broken shinai in Sano's face. "I AM FIFTEEN!"

Both Kenshin and Sano alike were shocked to hear this. They both looked her up and down, though Kenshin did so more discreetly than Sano. She was rather flat chested and thin, which was what did the most to make her look young. Even though she was taller than Kenshin by about a foot, it didn't help much. After all, it wasn't hard to be taller than Kenshin.

"Are you sure?" Sano finally asked. "You don't look fifteen to me."

CRACK!!!

And again the shinai was halved.

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A/N: Well, that's chapter 2. I hoped you all liked it. The updates are going to slow down a bit after this, unfortunately. I hope I don't end up making you guys wait too long. 


	4. Chapter 3: Suspicion

I'm back again, here to torture you with my third chapter! Mwahahaha! This chapter is, unfortunately, rather short. However, it puts some vital points out there for you guys, which is exactly what I wanted it to do. So, here is my short third chapter.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Watsuki, and since I have yet to set eyes on the man, it's unlikely that I will ever own the great series that is Rurouni Kenshin.

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"IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T EAT IT!" 

Kazue yelped and ducked under a flying bowl as it sailed passed, barely missing her. Sano, who the bowl had been thrown at, did the same.

"It's not my fault your cooking sucks." He commented, narrowly dodging a flying clay jug.

"YOU COULD KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT ABOUT IT!" Kaoru yelled back, continuing to throw various household objects.

Kazue looked between them, her eyebrows raised in surprise. Cautiously, she leaned over and muttered to Yahiko, who was sitting beside her, "Does this happen a lot?"

The ten-year-old chewed his rice, swallowed, and nodded curtly. "Pretty much," he said as he shoveled more food into his mouth.

"I see…"

Kazue slowly went back to eating her rice, thinking about the day's events. After her little bout of rage against Sanosuke (and Kenshin somewhat as well) she'd become quiet and subdued again, not speaking or doing much. She'd noticed that Sano had been keeping a closer eye on her, as if finally truly noticing that she was there. His stare seemed to bore a hole in her though, and she didn't like it.

As she turned this thought over in her mind, something grabbed onto her shoulders, and before she could turn to see what it was, a porcelain jar smacked her upside the head. Her eyes crossed and her bowl slipped from her hands as a large bump formed on the place of impact. She blinked and shook her head to uncross her eyes, then looked forward at Kaoru. The girl had stopped in mid-motion, another breakable object in her hand, ready to throw. A large sweatdrop was already taking shape on her head.

Kazue's eyes narrowed, but the look wasn't directed at Kaoru. She brought her arm forward, and in one quick motion, pulled it back and elbowed Sano- who had used her as a shield- in the forehead. Though the man did not budge, nor show any sign that the hit had hurt him (which it had not), Kazue still seemed satisfied.

"Kamiya-san's cooking isn't that bad." Kazue said, shaking Sano's hands off her shoulders and retrieving her bowl from the floor. At this comment, she received several raised eyebrows (Not to mention surprised looks from Yahiko and Kaoru, who had only heard her give her name). Kazue, sensing the looks she was getting, shut her eyes to them.

"Sometime, I'll cook." She stated, "Then you'll appreciate Kamiya-san's cooking a lot more. Trust me."

* * *

"And you said her name was…?" 

"She only told us her first name. It's Kazue."

"Hm. I don't like her."

After dinner had finished, the group had split, headed for their respective places; Kaoru to her room, Yahiko to his, Kazue to…. wherever she went. Kenshin and Sano, meanwhile, were just outside the door of the dojo, having a few more words before Sano headed back to the row houses.

Kenshin blinked, a little startled by his friend's blunt declaration. "Oro? Why is that?"

"She just strikes me as suspicious is all." Said Sano, looking up at the moon, which was hardly more than a half. "Doesn't talk much. Plus, she didn't give you her whole name. Ain't that a little suspicious?"

"You're relying on instinct aren't you?"

Sano paused for a moment, deciding not to answer right away. He leaned against one of the supports, starring off into the night sky. Unlike the night before, small wisps of clouds could be seen glowing under the moon's light, obscuring the bright specks that were stars.

"Yes." He finally replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "And I've got great instincts. I'm not saying to get rid of her or anything. I'm just saying to watch your back. She may look innocent, but I don't think she is." With this last word, he began to make his way toward the gate. However, before he could take more than a step, a deep sign rang through the air.

"I'm sorry…that you think of me that way."

Then, much to Kenshin's surprise (more than Sano's) Kazue appeared, hanging upside down, seemingly out of nowhere. Upon closer inspection however, both Sano and Kenshin saw that she was merely hanging upside down from the dojo roof. How she got up there…well, that was another matter.

She looked directly at Sano, for, thanks to her lack of height, their eyes were on the same level. "What have I done…" she said slowly, "to make you not want to trust me?"

Sano stared back at her, not saying a word. It was true that she'd only been there a day, and had hardly had enough time to do anything untrustworthy, but still…It was almost as if he'd seen her somewhere before, and hadn't liked what he'd seen. Then again, he was sure he'd never met her, so it couldn't be that.

Then, suddenly, Kazue's eyes grew wide. "Himura-sama?" she said, not looking down.

"Hai?"

"You may want to move."

"Naz-?"

Before Kenshin could finish however, Kazue lost her grip on the roof and was sent tumbling to the ground with a yelp and a crash. Luckily, Kenshin had that inhuman speed of his, and was out of the way just in time. Sanosuke sweatdropped as the girl sat up with a groan, rubbing her head.

"Gomen Himura-sama." She said nervously, standing and brushing herself off. Then, she turned back to Sano.

"Please don't hate me." She said, her voice a mix of apathy and sincerity. Her eyes held a sad expression, but not the kind of sad you would expect. She wasn't on the brink of tears, nor was she completely listless. It was somewhere in between, where it was as if she weren't sad at all, yet somehow obviously was. "I don't want you to hate me…I just met you. I'm not a bad person, if that's what you're thinking." Sano unintentionally twitched.

She bowed to both of them, though more Kenshin than Sano. "Gomen again Himura-sama." She said. Kenshin waved his hand and smiled warmly.

"Do not worry." He said reassuringly. "This one is fine. No harm done." Kazue paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"And thank you for letting me stay…" she said, seeming to shrink into herself as she spoke. "It really means a lot to me." Again, Kenshin nodded.

"You really should be thanking Kaoru-dono. It is her dojo after all."

"Hai." She responded before standing up straight. "I'll do that." She turned away from the two, waving over her shoulder. "Oyasuminasai Himura-sama, Sagara-sama."

Sano felt a cold chill go up his spine to the base of his neck. It was rather creepy hearing someone call him "Sagara-sama". It didn't fit him at all.

"Night Kenshin." Said Sano, again turning and heading toward the gate. Kenshin watched the man go, listening to the quiet bang of the gate closing behind him. Then, the rurouni too made his way into the dojo.

* * *

Kazue slowly walked down the hall, seeing only the darkness of the night all around her. Kaoru and Yahiko were already asleep and had extinguished all the lanterns. The girl tightly gripped her shoulders as she walked into the spare room that Kaoru was letting her stay in. She kneeled down on the futon, placing her hands on her knees and hanging her head. She mentally scolded herself for the impression she had made. Sano already thought badly of her, and who knows what the others thought. 

"I'm not a bad person," she said to herself, just as she had said to Sano only minutes earlier. Slowly, she pulled back her futon, revealing a small metal object. She had placed it there earlier when none of the other residents were watching. She couldn't see it well in the dark, but feeling that it was there assured her. The others hadn't found it; that was good. Beside it lay five bullets, all of which Kazue herself had taken out. It wouldn't bode well if she tripped the trigger by lying on it.

"I'm not a bad person." She repeated, trying her best to reassure herself that it was true. Slowly, she covered the object with the futon again. "I'm not."

* * *

A/N: Well, I hope that was enough to satisfy you guys for a few days. Like I said, I know it's short, but please bear with me on that. Also, I know it's kind of strange, but I'm sort of proud of myself for saying this is short, because this use to be what I considered the happy medium. Anyway, please R&R. 

Oh, and if any of you are fans of Inuyasha as well, might I request that you read "Fate Can Be a Good Thing"? It's under my screen name, but it's written by a friend of mine named Em. Sorry for the shameless advertising!!


	5. Chapter 4: Brother

Finally, I get this chapter up! It took a million years because I wasn't really into writing this part. Just like last chapter, it's a lot of fluff and character development without much meat in it. Each day this week I'd come home, and on the bus ride home I'd say to myself, "You're doing to finish that damn chapter today! Get it out of the way!" Of course, every single day, it fell through. Until today, thank God.

It's sort of ironic. I'm update with a constant amount of speed four three chapters, then as soon as Whiterabbit says to keep it up, I make you wait two weeks! I'm such a bad person.

Forgive me if this chapter seems a little underdeveloped, especially the conversation between Kaoru and Kazue. I'd been trying to muddle through this for two weeks now, and when I got to that part I just said, "Screw it!" But I still did it to the best of my abilities. I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter more than I did writing it.

Disclaimer: RK _still_ isn't mine. Not until I'm a super mega millionaire and can buy it. And with my current finances, that should be about…never.

* * *

Kazue looked up at the sky above and squinted in the sun's light. The heat was getting worse by the hour, and at the moment it was teetering on the edge of unbearable. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, successfully getting soapsuds in her hair, and went back to work. 

She was leaning over the washtub, elbow deep in soapy water, aggressively scrubbing away at several items of clothing. Even though washing clothes tended to be a neat and rather simple process, Kazue had somehow managed to mess up and get herself completely covered with suds. Strangely enough, she was doing quite a bit better than she had the last few times she'd done the chore. Apparently, she wasn't quite suited for washing clothes.

She halted her attack on the clothes for a moment and extracted her hakama from the soapy water. She turned it from side to side, checking to make sure she hadn't missed any dirt or stains. When she was satisfied with it's level of cleanliness, she wrung it out, stood, and hung it on the line beside the clothes that Kenshin had washed. As Kazue retrieved her gi from the tub and began to ring it out, she took a second to look at all the clothes drying on the line. Afterwards, as she hung her gi up beside her hakama, she was very thankful that she only had to wash her own clothes.

She shook the water from her hands and began wiping the suds off of her. When she looked down to brush the suds off the shirt she was wearing, she couldn't help but flinch: the collar had come undone again. As she pulled it securely into place yet again, she silently begged the sun to dry her clothes as quickly as possible. Even though Kazue greatly appreciated Kaoru's generosity and was thankful to have something to wear while she washed her clothes, there was an obvious problem with wearing clothes of Kaoru's. Kaoru, being seventeen, was much more shapely than Kazue, so the gi was a lot looser than it should have been. Even when it was adjusted drastically, it still didn't fit quite right.

"Please," she begged, dropping to her knees and bowing to the two articles of clothing before her. "Please dry most quickly! I can't stand this humiliation!"

"…um…"

Kazue blinked and slowly looked up to see Yahiko starring at her, seemingly lost for any smart-ass comment he could have made.

"Oh," said Kazue, standing up from her kneeling position, apparently not embarrassed in the least. She waved at the younger boy, saying, "Konnichiwa Yahiko-chan." Yahiko was on her in a second's time.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" he yelled, teeth bared and eyes white with rage. Kazue almost fell backwards from the force of his yell. "It is not _–chan_."

Kazue blinked at the irate boy, rather surprised by his animated reaction to such a simple statement. "I'm sorry." She stated plainly, blinking more times than she really needed to. "It's just that…"

"What?" barked Yahiko, his intense glare never wavering an inch.

"Well," Kazue lifted one of her hands and placed it firmly atop Yahiko's head, making sure to press down on his hair to reach his scalp. The boy watched curiously as she did the same thing to her own head with the other hand. She then moved her hands away from them both and positioned them so that one was directly at Yahiko's height, and the other was at her own. The gap between them was pretty extensive.

"See, I'll confess I'm not exactly tall myself." Admitted Kazue, "But still, I'm up here," she waved the hand indicating her height, "and you're down here," she then waved the hand indicating Yahiko's height.

"And…" said Yahiko, looking at her suspiciously.

"And you're just so small, I figured that '-chan' just seemed to fi-"

BAM!

Kazue blinked in utter shock, a decent bump beginning to grow atop her head.

"I don't usually hit girls." Yahiko said coolly, rubbing his fist where he had bopped her. "But you're not exactly a girl now are you?"

Hearing this, Kazue's eyes momentarily flashed red, and a malicious smile spread across her face. "Oh…" she said, cracking her knuckles, "NOW it's on."

* * *

"Oro?" said Kenshin as he stepped into the kitchen. His intent had been to start cooking dinner, but to his surprise, a certain brunette had beaten him to it. 

"Hm?" said Kazue as she turned to the surprised rurouni. The sleeves of her gi were rolled up and bunched at her elbows, and several grains of rice could be seen caught in her hair. "Oh. Konbanwa Himura-sama!" She said with a wave.

"You're…cooking?" asked Kenshin as politely as he could, though he couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. Though Kazue kept herself from being a burden, she was never really one to do chores around the dojo, save washing her clothes of course.

"Yep." She said. Kenshin immediately became nervous when she gave him a knowing smirk. "Just like I promised you, I'm going to make you men appreciate Kamiya-sama's cooking."

* * *

Unfortunately for said men, Kazue was true to her word. The girl sat with the other residents of the dojo, her bowl up close to her mouth, her eyes shifted back and forth to observe the expressions on the men's faces. Yahiko's eyes were wide and watery, and he was completely silent except for a quiet humming noise suggesting that he was about to be violently sick. Sanosuke was halfway through a bite of food, and already his eye was twitching unrelentingly. Even Kenshin's hair stood on end. 

Behind her bowl, Kazue smiled slightly, taking a few more bites of rice.

"It's an acquired taste." She offered in her defense.

Kenshin swallowed (but not without difficulty) and carefully slid the bowl away from him.

Sano stood and walked out the door of the dojo, then dumped the food on the ground outside. Some animal could eat it.

Kazue watched him as he did this, her smirk widening so that it was getting hard to hide. However, it was wiped cleanly away when Yahiko disposed of his remaining food his own way: throwing the bowl at Kazue. It bounced off her head and successfully knocked her to the side with a yelp. She stabilized herself, and then slowly, she turned to face Yahiko, her eyes narrowed. He looked right back at her, unthreatened.

The girl scooped the food she had dropped back into her bowl, then stood and walked over to Yahiko. He watched her as she did, not taking his glaring eyes away from hers. Kazue paused for a moment, starring at him. Then, before the young boy could react, she had turned her own bowl over and slammed it down on his head. The food covered his hair while the bowl remained where it was on his head.

"There." Said Kazue finally and she pulled her hand away and crossed her arms. "Now you have a hat."

It wasn't a particularly funny comment, but it still made Kaoru (who had strategically been pushing her food around the whole time has to not eat it) giggle.

"I believe my point has been made." Said Kazue as she stepped away from a seething Yahiko. Even if was five years younger than she, she knew he could hold his own against her. The bruises from their scuffle earlier in the day were proof of that.

"Your point?" asked a somewhat aggravated Sano as he slid the dojo door shut. Apparently, he wasn't too happy about being 'cheated' out of his free meal.

Kazue smiled innocently and nodded. "Uh huh." She said. "You all appreciate Kamiya-sama's cooking now, don't you?"

Kaoru, unknowing of Kazue's intentions, blinked in surprise. She looked around at the men's faces, and saw with shock that their uncertain expressions said what their tongues would not (for Kenshin was too polite and the remaining two were just too stubborn). Apparently, Kazue's cooking was just bad enough to make Kaoru's seem good to them.

"That's what I thought." Said the younger girl with a smile. "Kamiya-sama?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"You want to make something instead? These guys deserve a prize for surviving my cooking."

* * *

"…I'm really that obvious??" 

"Of course. You've been living here for three weeks now. You think I wouldn't notice you starring at him all the time?"

"I thought I was being subtle…"

"Starring right at him without even blinking is hardly subtle Kazue-chan."

It was several minutes after Kazue's interesting little experiment, and both she and Kaoru were in the kitchen making a quick meal. This time, Kaoru did the cooking, while Kazue was in charge of cutting vegetables.

At first, they had worked in silence, but soon began talking. They spoke mostly of events that had happened within the past three weeks, the time that Kazue had been at the dojo. As it turned out, the subject soon turned to something Kaoru had noticed about Kazue during that time: she had a tendency to stare, though it was only at one rooster-headed person in particular.

Kazue blinked a few times and flushed pink. Seeing this, Kaoru covered her mouth with a hand and snickered.

"Don't worry," said Kaoru with a smile as she went back to stirring a bowl of miso soup. "He's pretty dense. He probably hasn't noticed yet."

"You don't give him enough credit." Kazue responded, tilting her head to the side to make sure she was cutting the vegetables the correct thickness. "My brother was just like him. He seemed pretty stupid, but there was more to him than he let on."

"You have a brother?" asked Kaoru, blinking, momentarily turning away from her work. She recalled what Kenshin had said to her the night Kazue had arrived, and confusion encompassed her mind. Hadn't Kazue said she had nowhere to go? If she had an older brother, why couldn't she go with him?

As the question left Kaoru's lips, Kazue's smile disappeared and her face took on a somber look. "Well…" she said cautiously, "I _had_ an older brother actually."

Kaoru's eyes widened, and then softened decently. "Oh…" Kaoru said, looking down. So, he was dead. That explained why Kazue wasn't with him. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Kazue said, further inspecting her work on the vegetables, though her eyes weren't focused on them in the least. "It was someone else's fault." As she said this, her eyes narrowed, and Kaoru could almost see the vegetable slices shiver in fear.

Kaoru looked up, staring at the younger girl. Hatred was plain in her blue eyes, which were beginning to become gray again. Kaoru did not press her for an explanation, but instead went back to her cooking. Within a few moments, Kazue calmed and did the same. However, the incredible hatred remained in her eyes.

Kaoru did not speak to Kazue again that night. Instead, as she laid in bed, she continued to turn one particular question over and over in her mind: Was Kazue's brother murdered?

* * *

At the same time, Kazue lay in her own bed, staring up at the dojo ceiling. It was glowing blue with the light of the crescent moon. In a few nights, they would be having another new moon. She replayed the conversation with Kaoru over in her head repeatedly, and every time she reached the part about her brother, she could feel a twinge in her heart. 

She brushed her hand across the futon where several weeks ago she had hidden the gun. She'd kept it right under her back, the pain a reminder of what she needed to do. After roughly two weeks at the dojo, she'd moved it. That short time ago, she'd thought she could start over, live with these people and forget about her wretched past. How blind she had been.

"He's still out there, somewhere." She whispered to the night. She turned on her side, away from the window, and gripped the futon tightly. "I've got to find him. He has to pay."

* * *

And, just like last chapter, you get a whole bunch of fluff and an interesting morsel of meat at the end. Only of course, this chapter was worse. Please R/R anyway. I want to know what you guys think. 


	6. Chapter 5: Name

How about that? It takes me two weeks to put out chapter 4 and I put out chapter 5 in…five days? Huh. I guess I was a little more motivated to do this chapter because this is when I unveil the twist I've been looking forward to. Anyone see it coming?

Disclaimer: I am American. I am female. My name is not Nobuhiro Watsuki. Hence, I do not write Rurouni Kenshin. Nor did I publish it. So I don't own it.

* * *

Around mid-afternoon the next day, Kenshin could be found strolling down the walkway, several groceries in hand. Kaoru-dono always had to buy so much at once…He walked to the door of the training hall and heard the sounds of Kaoru and Yahiko training within. Around the corner of the dojo, on an area of the walkway protected by shade, Kenshin noticed Sano's arm flopped lazily against the wood. 

"Sano?" Kenshin asked.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Kazue-chan at all today? It's almost as if she disappeared."

Sano shifted and looked around the corner at Kenshin, only one eye open. "Haven't seen her." He said. "I wouldn't worry about it though. The kid can take care of herself."

Kenshin smiled and nodded. "I suppose you're right." He said. "I've just gotten use to hearing her trip over things and crash into walls, it's surprising for it to be so quiet."

Sano smirked in reply and disappeared behind the wall again. "Yeah, she's something else."

Kenshin nodded again, opened the door to the dojo, and disappeared within.

Sano leaned back against the wall, placed his hands behind his head, and shut his eyes. Now that Kenshin mentioned it, it was suspiciously quiet. The last time he remembered it being this quiet was…before Kazue came.

Slowly he shook his head. It really did shock him how quickly she could go from quiet and somber, to evil little imp, to raving lunatic and back again. She really was something else.

Then, threw the silence, Sano heard the quiet sound of someone tip-toeing across the walkway. He peeked around the corner, moving slowly as to not attract attention to himself. Kazue was walking cautiously around the opposite corner, watching the door for any movement. Her shoes were in hand, and she was stepping rather lightly.

'Speak of the devil and she appears.' Thought Sano, leaning forward for a better look without giving away his position.

Kazue sat down quietly and slipped on her shoes, turning to look at the door every few seconds. Apparently, whatever she was doing, she didn't want to be caught. Sano watched with amusement at the terrified look on Kazue's face every time she turned around. What was even more amusing that she only looked at the door and no where else. Someone could easily sneak up behind her, or even in front of her, and she wouldn't notice. Apparently she wasn't that use to the whole "sneaking around" thing.

"Where're you going?" asked Sano, unable to resist.

Kazue, who had been oblivious of his presence, yelped in surprise and jumped backwards, almost falling off the walkway. She shot a frightened look Sano's way, which he returned with a raised eyebrow.

"S-Sano…" she said nervously, getting to her feet. "I didn't see you…"

"Obviously."

A moment of silence followed, Kazue fidgeting uneasily. It was almost as if she were weighing her answer.

"I'm going into town." She said simply, plunging her hands deep into her pockets. She didn't look him in the eye as she spoke, and her face held the same expression as a dog that knew it had done something wrong. "I should be back before dinner."

"All right kid." Said Sano, waving her away lazily.

Kazue in turn waved as she turned to go. Unfortunately, her shoe caught on the wood and sent her tumbling down the steps from the walkway to the ground.

Sano watched as Kazue tumbled down the steps, his head bobbing after each step she fell down. Three, four, five…When she came to a halt, Sano got to his feet, stepped off the walkway, and headed toward her.

"You're pretty talented kid." He said. "It's gotta take some serious talent to do that when there are only two steps."

However, Kazue wasn't listening. She propped herself up into a kneeling position and carefully pulled her right hand out of her pocket, making a pained hissing noise in the process. As Sano got closer, he noticed a seeping line of crimson running across her palm.

"Hey, did you-"

However, he didn't get to finish his sentence. At hearing his voice, Kazue jumped to her feet and darted out the gate with a rushed, "Ja ne!"

Sano blinked in surprise as the gate banged shut behind her (only to bounce back from the force).

"What was that about?" he asked, perplexed. After a few moments he shook his head and headed back to his spot in the shade. "I'll ask her when she gets back."

* * *

However, even when darkness had descended, all that could be heard was the clicking of chopsticks. Kazue still hadn't returned. Kaoru, who kept looking at the closed door every few minutes, was particularly nervous. 

"I hope she's all right…" said Kaoru for the fifth time, her brow furrowed in concern.

"I'm sure she's fine Kaoru-dono." Said Kenshin reassuringly. However, when she had looked down, Sano noticed Kenshin stare at the door with apprehension.

The rest of the meal was basically silent, except for a few random, nerve-driven comments from Kaoru, mostly about one of her kitchen knives having gone missing.

As he finished, Sano sighed and set down his bowl and chopsticks.

"I'm gonna head home." He said, getting to his feet and shoving her fists into his pockets. "See you guys."

As he slid the door back, he heard Kaoru mutter something about ungrateful moochers, but he ignored it. He had something on his mind, and he didn't even care on a regular day.

As he walked, passing through the gate and down the streets, he started thinking. Why had Kazue been so anxious before leaving? What was in her pocket that she had cut her hand on? Why did she panic when he tried to ask about the cut?

He wanted to brush it off with a solution like, "She's just weird," or "She's always like that," or "It probably wasn't important." However, after her little disappearing act, those options had gone right out the window.

Before he knew it, he was walking through the underground, almost at the row houses. Light and sound were still abundant in the bars and brothels as Sano walked past. Ah the drunkards and perverts. It was as if they never slept.

"Ah come on hon. Don't lie." Said a voice of to Sano's right. "We know you have money."

"You're a dumbass." Replied a female voice. "For the last time, I'm poor! Leave me alone!"

"Then you must be down here for some action." Said a third voice.

"Fuck off." The female voice again. "I use to live here, unfortunately."

There was a moment of silence before the first male voice replied, laughing. "I thought you looked familiar. Your eyes look just like hers. Big and stupid."

Hearing this, Sano stopped. Big eyes?

"…her?" asked the female voice. The voice's tone suggested that it already knew what the answer would be.

"Ezakiya's whore." Replied the second male voice. "Didn't talk much. Akechi Erika was her name?"

Now Sano was _very_ interested. Immediately, the memory of the two back-to-back murders filled his mind, especially the bit about Ezakiya's murderer, who had yet to be captured. Since Akechi had apparently had no family, the case had run cold, for the police hadn't a single lead. Maybe this person had something to do with it…

That's when all hell broke loose.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?????" screamed the female voice, the ferocious shriek echoing through the street. It was accompanied by a loud, wet thumping noise, like someone being stabbed.

"AUGH!" screamed the second male voice. "She stabbed me! That bitch stabbed me!!"

The sounds of a scuffle broke out, and Sano could hear a body being kicked around.

"LET GO OF ME!!!" screamed the female voice maliciously.

Sano's eyes widened in horror when he heard it. He'd heard that exact scream before…just before a shinai was snapped in half over his head…

"Oh my God." He said, then ran off towards the fight. "It can't be her. She can't possibly be that stupid…"

As the figures silhouettes came into view, Sano could faintly see two figures, obviously the two males, kicking at something on the ground, obviously the female.

With one punch, the first guy was down and out. Stupid weakling. The second guy however, was more of a challenge. He had a knife in hand, and really wasn't afraid to use it. Five seconds later, he was on the ground, twisted like some sort of pretzel.

He turned toward the female, who was still laying on the ground, groaning and holding her face.

"Kazue." Said Sano, stepping up to her and kneeling down. It wasn't a question. He already knew.

"Sano?" came a dazed and pained reply. The girl lifted herself onto an elbow, not without difficulty, and moved her hands from her face. Though Sano couldn't see it, her nose was bleeding profusely from behind punched in the face. Being kicked in the head hadn't done much for her mind either.

"Idiot." said Sano curtly, helping Kazue into a kneeling position. "What were you thinking?"

"They insulted my mother." Said Kazue dizzily, clinging tightly to Sano's shirt. Apparently, the kick to the head had done its damage.

Sano narrowed his eyes, considering her. "What did you stab that guy with?" he asked, speaking slowly.

"A kitchen knife." She responded, waving her hand behind her. "They knocked it out of my hand. It somewhere over there."

'Hm.' Thought Sano. 'So that's where Missy's knife went.' (Even he was surprised he'd been listening).

"Come on kid." He said, pulling her up onto her feet. "I gotta get you back to the dojo. Missy's pretty worried about you."

As Kazue stood up, the damages of the blow to the head were even more apparent. She held her forehead and groaned, leaning too far over to the left. Add in her bleeding nose and stained gi, and she really was a mess.

She attempted to walk forward but only succeeded in quickly losing her footing. She stumbled, Sano catching her arm as she fell. Sano sighed. There was no way she could walk back.

"Come on kid." He said. "I'll carry you back."

* * *

A few minutes later they were well on their way back, Sano carrying Kazue on her back. Here eyes had flitted shut and her arms hung loosely around his neck. Her head rested on his shoulder but unfortunately, her nose hadn't completely stopped bleeding yet. As a result, Sano's shirt had a large crimson stain on the shoulder. However, for a man who'd constantly gotten his hands dirty from street brawls, it wasn't anything worth whining about. 

"I'm sorry." Said Kazue groggily.

"I thought you were asleep," said Sano, turning his head and looking over his shoulder at her. Her eyes were still shut gently, and her face was fairly relaxed. The only sign that she hadn't drifted off again was her firm grip on his shirt.

"Nu uh." She replied, shaking her head.

"What are you so sorry about now?" he asked.

"Causing you trouble." She answered.

Silence followed as they past through the empty uptown streets of Tokyo. Another ten minutes to the dojo. After only a few minutes, Kazue's grip slackened and she began to snore lightly.

Sano continued on, looking ahead at the road. As he went, he griped to himself about having to walk double the distance that he would have had to. If Kazue hadn't needed saving, he'd already be home.

'Why was she in the underground anyway?' he thought. 'And in a place like _that_?'

As the dojo came in view, he turned to look at Kazue again. Her nose had stopped bleeding, though a crusty line of red still remained on her face (not to mention the blood on Sano's shirt). Besides that, she looked rather peaceful. It really was a shame to wake her, but he did it anyway.

"Hey kid." He said, bucking Kazue and jolting her from her sleep. "Why were you down there?"

"Huh?" asked Kazue, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Why were you in the underground." Repeated Sano. Ahead, he could see light coming from the dojo. Missy must have left a few candles burning.

"I go down here sometimes to see if I can find him." She answered.

"Him?" Sano asked, raising an eyebrow. Couldn't she be even a little bit more descriptive than that?

"The man who ruined my life." She said, starting to drift off again. Sano only had a moment to seem perplexed before Kazue nuzzled into his shoulder, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable. He bit his tongue however, waiting for her to continue.

"Maybe you could help me find him." She said, opening her eyes. "I mean, you live in the underground, and you seem to know your way around. Maybe you know him."

"Maybe." Sano repeated in response.

"Everyone in the underground seems to know about him, but nobody will give me any information without payment. Greedy bastards."

"Do you know this guy's name?"

"Uh huh." Kazue responded. "Everybody does."

Sano listened, waiting for her to say this apparently famous name. However, when he heard it, he wished he hadn't.

"His name is Zanza." She said.

* * *

Wow. Seven pages of text and only a few hundreds words of 2000. Weird eh? So, what do you guys think of that? R/R so I know! 


	7. Chapter 6: Storyteller

Back yet again with a very quick update. This is short chapter I know, but it does tell a huge part of Kazue's past. I hope you guys don't mind its shortness. Plus, this probably isn't too great, since I wrote a good portion while I was half asleep.

Disclaimer: You know what sucks? Getting your face blown off by a rocket launcher. Now that I've got your attention, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

* * *

Sano put a hand over his face and shut his eyes as he finished his retelling of the night's events. He leaned back against the dojo wall, waiting for some response from either Kaoru or Kenshin. However, the room remained deafeningly quiet. 

Kaoru tried to speak up, tried to say something that might better the situation, but to no avail. Frankly, she couldn't say anything at all. She looked down at her knees, contemplating the story Sano had told them.

Kenshin sat up against the wall opposite Sano, his sakabato propped up against his shoulder. He looked down at the floor, tracing the lines of the boards with his eyes.

"So…let this one get this straight." He finally said, glancing toward the open doors. It was a warm night, so Kaoru-dono had left them open to prevent the dojo from getting too stuffy. Outside, it was just as dark as when Sano had returned with Kazue about a half hour before.

"You found Kazue-chan in the underground speaking with several roughens who were trying to take money from her."

Sano nodded.

"During their conversation, Kazue-chan said that she had lived in the underground before, and the roughens recognized her as the daughter of Akechi Erika, which she acknowledged to be true."

Again, Sano nodded.

"And on the way back, Kazue-chan said that it was not Ezakiya who had ruined her life, but Zanza?"

A third nod.

"It seems to this one," said Kenshin, leaning his head back against the wall to look up at the ceiling. "That this story leaves many loose threads."

"I told ya all I know." Sano replied shortly.

"But…" said Kaoru, finally able to speak. "Does Kazue-chan…want to kill you?"

Sano languidly turned his gaze toward her. He didn't look worried, and he didn't look at all afraid. However, he did look rather tired, and much older than a 19-year-old should. "I wouldn't doubt it." He said bluntly.

Kaoru looked down at the floor by her knees, her shoulders sagging slightly. Though Kazue-chan had obviously had a hard past and was prone to depression, she was still a nice girl. It was hard for Kaoru to grasp the idea that this same girl could be capable of plotting murder.

"Do you think she did it?" asked Kenshin candidly.

Both Sano and Kenshin looked up at the rurouni, who returned their gazes.

"Did what?" asked Sano, sliding down the wall a bit.

"Murdered Ezakiya."

Kaoru sucked in her breath, her eyes widening. Sano shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Even if both of them had thought about it, back in the dark, unseen corners of their minds, hearing it out loud…

"If she really is the daughter of Akechi Erika, she would have the perfect motivation to kill Ezakiya. That is of course, if Ezakiya really did kill Akechi."

A long silence followed this comment where each of the three turned over the many possibilities in their head.

"There's too much left out." Said Sano, balancing his elbows on his knees. "We have to know the whole story before we can jump to any conclusions." Unhurriedly, he got to his feet, headed for the door for the second time that night. He put a hand against the frame and continued, not looking back at them.

"There's only one person who knows the whole story." He said. "And I can't face her. One of you will have to talk to her." And with that, he left, sliding the doors shut behind him.

* * *

Kazue woke late that morning, even though the sun had been burning through her eyelids for some time. The first thing that registered in her mind was that she'd had that dream again. The dream that replayed the times she found her mother, brother, and father dead. Her eyes were crusty with salt, and she realized she'd been crying in her sleep. Slowly, she sat up, and soon realized that her stomach and nose ached terribly. It reminded her of the events of the previous night, and she couldn't help but groan. 

Slowly, she got to her feet, and left the room. "I gotta wash my face." She commented to no one but herself.

This is where Kaoru found her several minutes later.

"Kazue-chan?" asked the older girl cautiously. Kazue removed the cloth from her face and looked up.

"Oh." She said. "Ohayou gozaimasu Kamiya-sama."

"Ohayou." Responded Kaoru. "Um…Kazue-chan? You think I could talk to you about something?"

Kazue blinked and wrung out the cloth, setting it down. "Sure." She said simply, walking up to Kaoru.

Kaoru turned and led her into the hallway, kneeling down and making herself comfortable. Kazue did the same, a questioning look on her face.

"Sano told us where he found you last night." Kaoru said, her eyes darting across the floor. She wrung the material of her hakama in her hands. "And…he told us…that you had mentioned you were there…to find Zanza."

Kaoru heard a sharp intake of breath from Kazue and out of the corner of her eye saw the girl tense up. Kaoru shut her eyes tightly, taking a moment to convince herself to go on. Why had she volunteered to do this?

"You want to know…why?" asked Kazue, her voice shaking slightly. Kaoru looked up, careful not to meet the girl's eyes. Kazue had pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. She stared at the floor before her feet, her gaze never wavering.

"Y-yes." Said Kaoru, looking away. "We…we'd all like to know why…"

Kaoru trailed off, waiting for Kazue to speak. The seconds ticked by, quickly becoming minutes, and Kazue didn't speak. Kaoru waited patiently, staring at the floor. The floorboards were badly scuffed and dinged, she noticed.

"…Three years ago…I had a family." Kazue spoke suddenly, quietly. She gripped her legs more tightly to her chest, shrinking into herself. Her hair fell in front of her face, covering her eyes, hiding them from the world.

"I had a father, a mother, and a brother." She continued while Kaoru, careful not to disrupt her, listened.

"Mama came to Japan when she was about eighteen years old. That was about four years before the Meiji began. No one really understood why she would go into such a war torn country, let alone how she would get in. But, somehow, she pulled it off.

"When she met my father, he was about eight years older than her. He already had a son, but his wife had died several years before."

A small smiled graced the girl's lips. Apparently, this was the better part of the story. "It didn't take long for them to fall in love. By the time mama was nineteen, they were married and she was pregnant with me.

"Even though my brother and I weren't blood related, we were too young to understand that. We grew up loving each other like any brother and sister would."

"Since mama could only speak a little Japanese, she taught us all how to speak English. I picked up on it the best because I was so young. She and I would always play tricks on my father and brother, muttering in English and pointing at them. That was always worth a laugh.

"My father was a shopkeeper who would buy an assortment of things from other merchants and sell them. This paid well, but not nearly as well as what a successful merchant earns. However, we had to make due, because only my father and brother could work. Mama couldn't speak enough Japanese to work with anyone, and I looked too European."

'That's right,' thought Kaoru. 'Even if she is half Japanese, looking European at all would get her discriminated again.'

"It was okay though." Kazue continued. "It worked well for us. It kept us fed and clothed, and that was enough for us. We weren't out to become rich anyway. Just having enough to get us by was enough to keep us healthy and happy."

Kazue sighed wistfully, rubbing the corner of her eyes. To Kaoru, it looked as though she was willing herself not to cry.

"But…" she continued. "Three years ago…something happened."

She adjusted her gaze from the floor, leaning her head against the wall behind her, looking at the joint between the ceiling and the wall.

"Three years ago, my brother turned eighteen, his coming of age. To celebrate, my father took him out to drink. Mama and I stayed home, because we knew it was more of a father-son bonding event than a family one."

The more Kazue said, the more strain Kaoru could hear in the girl's voice. At this point in her story, she came to a complete stop. She gulped and bit her lip, her eyes becoming moist. Apparently, it had been a while since she had relived the entire story over again.

"But…the next morning, they weren't home." She continued, twisting the loose fabric of her hakama in her hands.

"It wasn't like my father to stay out all night, so mama and I were both worried. We went to look for them and…they were dead."

Kaoru's eyes widen and, for the first time since the conversation started, she turned and looked Kazue in the eye. A few tears had started to slide down her cheeks, and her face was twisted with anguish.

"Dead?" asked Kaoru, for lack of anything better to say. Kazue choked back a sob and nodded.

"In an alleyway not far from where they had gone to drink." She said, her voice strained and high-pitched. "We asked the owner…the man who ran the place. He said…they'd gotten drunk…and bought a fight."

All of a sudden, Kaoru understood. "They bought a fight…from Zanza?"

Kazue nodded her response.

"W-what happened afte-" Kaoru began. However, she was cut short when Kazue again leaned her forehead on her knees and started sobbing; a heart-wrenching sound.

"I'm going to find him." She said through gritted teeth, trying to hold back her sobs even now. "I know his name, and I know he carries the mark of evil. That's all I need to know."

Kaoru shushed Kazue, bringing the younger girl into a comforting embrace. Kazue continued to sob, trying to speak in between, but failing miserably. Soon, she had soaked through Kaoru's gi with her tears, but still Kaoru continued to comfort her.

'I'll find out the rest later.' Kaoru told herself. 'The strain on her is just…too much.'

* * *

Like I said, short and crappy, but still informative. Still, you don't know the _whole_ story yet. What about Akechi and Ezakiya, eh? 

Please R/R.


	8. Chapter 7: Speechless

Me on Saturday- ::Looks over timeline set for Kazue's past, scribbles in notebook. Stops:: Wa-ait a minute…If Kazue was born in the first year of the Meiji…she's fifteen…that would mean when Zanza killed her father a brother would be in the…OO TWELVTH YEAR OF THE MEIJI??? AUUUUGGGHHHH!!

::Points at above message:: Yep, I had a spaz attack. Went a little nuts when I found out my timelines didn't match up correctly. Made a quick change so it all fits together nicely. It does make a little less sense though, in my opinion. I'd personally much rather go to a country at peace than one that was war torn, but whatever. At least the dates fit now, and I'm completely calm.

Well, here's Chapter 7. It didn't quite turn out how I'd have liked it to, but it's still good. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: No I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, but I'll be the first to bid on it when it goes up for auction on Ebay!

* * *

"Did you get into another brawl?" Tae asked as she brought Sano's order. 

Sano opened his eyes and looked up at her, sighing a bit at hearing the question. 'Damnit Tae.' He thought to himself, sitting up straight. 'I didn't want to think about it.' Slowly, he looked at the stain on his shoulder. It had dried by now, leaving a nice red-orange mark on the white fabric.

"…sort of." He responded, grabbing his chopsticks and digging in.

"I thought you gave up on the whole Zanza thing." She commented.

"Doesn't mean I can't get into a few brawls now and again, does it?" he asked, a smirk forming on his face. However, his eyes did not mirror it.

Tae giggled. "I suppose not." She said, apparently oblivious to the look in his eyes. Then, from behind her came the aggravated yelling of another customer, obviously impatient to get their order. She quickly rushed away, shouting, "I'll be putting that on your tab again!"

'I wonder if she realizes I'm never really going to pay that.' Thought Sano as he chewed. Slowly, reluctantly, the questions and memories returned to his mind. It had only been four days since he had dropped Kazue off at the dojo, and he was already considering returning. His original plan had been to stay away for week or more, letting the subject cool off before he returned. However, curiosity slowly overtook him.

He rubbed his forehead, trying to think of who Kazue's father and brother could have been. Of course, he'd fought so many men in his days as Zanza that most of them were hardly worth remembering. His year of separation from the fighting business didn't help all that much either. By now, what remained of his meal tasted very sour.

With a sigh, he set down his bowl and chopsticks and leaned back against the screen separating the booths. At the moment, he had two options; He could stay away like he had planned and squash the curiosity until the time was right. That would probably be the smarter of the two options. The second option was to abandon his last bout of reason and head to the Kamiya dojo to satisfy the nagging curiosity. Obviously not the most intelligent thing to do.

When he was finished thinking, he stood and strolled out of the Akabeko, again without paying. He brushed the noren to the side as he passed. Those things got a little annoying after a while.

As he stepped into the busy afternoon traffic that was uptown Tokyo, he paused and looked both directions he could go. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, then turned and slowly headed toward… the Kamiya dojo. Damned curiosity.

* * *

Soon enough -maybe too soon- he found himself in front of the gate to the dojo. He paused for a moment, starring at the gate's handle. It would be so easy to turn around, go back the row houses, and stay away for another week or two. However, the curiosity overpowered him yet again, and he soon found himself pulling the gate open and stepping inside. 

'Maybe I can avoid her.' He thought as he slid the gate closed. 'I mean, it shouldn't be too hard…'

"Sano? Where've you been?"

'Damn!'

Sano turned to the right to see Kazue leaning over the washtub, elbow deep in sudsy water, washing her laundry yet again. Just like last time, she was wearing Kaoru's clothes, which she was having the same issues with. Sano, who had never witnessed the event before, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Kazue's attire.

"Hey Kid." He said, pointing at the shirt she was wearing. "Ain't Missy's clothes a bit too loose for ya?"

Kazue slowly looked down at the shirt, then back up at Sano with a glare. "Maybe it's supposed to be like this." She said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest and successfully covering the shirt with suds. At this, Sano snickered.

"I don't think so Kid." He responded with a smirk. "Since their Missy's clothes, I'd assume there supposed to be worn the way she wears um." When a smirk similar to his own lit Kazue's face, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"Hm…" she said, "I didn't know you paid _that_ much attention to Kamiya-san, Sano.

Better be careful though, or you'll anger Himura-san."

For once in his life, Sano was speechless. All he could do was glare at the girl while she snickered evilly at him. She'd won this battle of words. Slowly, Sano shook his head at her, and headed towards the dojo.

"Matte!" shouted Kazue, getting Sano attention. She signaled him back over with a, "come here," and a wave of her hand. She was staring at his bloodstained shoulder. With a sigh, he walked over and stood next to her.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Is that mine?" asked Kazue, pointing at the bloodstain, her tone now somewhat nervous. Sano simply nodded in reply.

After a moment's pause, Kazue reached up and grabbed his sleeve, jerking on it. "Let me see it." She said in response to the strange look he was giving her. "I'll wash it for you. It's the least I could do for you helping me the other day."

Sano pulled back on his sleeve, almost knocking over the unprepared girl. "I don't need payment kid." He replied.

"Please?" she asked, putting her hands together in a begging motion. "I wouldn't feel right if I didn't repay you _somehow_."

Sano paused a moment, then shrugged it off his shoulders. 'Why not?' he thought. 'Needs to get washed anyway.' He balled it up and tossed it to her lightly. For a moment she stared at him, apparently unaware she was doing so. However, when he raised an eyebrow at her, she quickly looked down, submerged the shirt in the water, and began to scrub.

"Missy's inside right?" he asked, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb. Kazue quickly nodded, not looking up. Sano couldn't help but notice the healthy blush present on her face. He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and then headed into the dojo.

* * *

"…And that's all she could tell me." Finished Kaoru. 

"…Wow." Responded Sano, crossing his arms over his chest. "Quite the interesting story."

Before Kaoru started retelling the story she had heard from Kazue, both she and Sano had moved to the back of the dojo so that they would not be heard by Kazue. However, they still spoke quietly as an extra precaution. They sat in a shadowy area of the to keep cool.

"So…" said Sano, massaging his forehead. "She says I killed her father and brother." Kaoru nodded her confirmation.

"But…did you?" asked Kaoru nervously. "I mean, I know you were a thug, but you wouldn't actually kill a couple of dumb drunks, would you?"

Sano looked toward the wall, his face twisted. 'Is that guilt??' thought Kaoru, examining Sano's expression. Sure enough, guilt shown clearly in his features.

"Sanosuke?" asked Kaoru, her voice soft.

"I never gave a damn about the guys I fought." He said, not looking at Kaoru. "If they lived or died was their own problem. After I had had my fight, it didn't matter." Slowly, he turned and looked at Kaoru. "I probably killed them without even knowing it."

Slowly, Kaoru looked at the floorboards below her knees. She had hoped that somehow, Kazue had gotten her story mixed up. Maybe, she had thought, Sano hadn't done it at all. Maybe no one even knew who did it and blamed it on Zanza for his famous name. Or maybe the actual killer just looked like Zanza. However, hearing Sano himself say he was guilty immediately killed those hopes.

Silence filled the room, neither of the two daring to speak a word for quite a while. The only sounds for quite a while were the sounds of their own steady breathing.

"She didn't say what happened afterwards?" Sano asked suddenly. "To her and her mother?"

Kaoru shook her head. "No," she said. "She couldn't take anymore stress. She broke down crying after telling me what happened to her father and brother. The last thing she said was that she was going to find you. She said she knew your name, and about the mark of evil."

"…Mark of evil?" questioned Sano.

"I think she means the _aku_ sign on the back of your shirt." Answered Kaoru casually. "That was your defining symbol as Zanza, wasn't it?" She slowly looked up at him, tilting her head. "By the way, where is your shirt?"

* * *

Kazue scrubbed at the white garment forcefully, trying her hardest to get the red stain out. She knew that blood stained terribly, but not _this_ terribly. This was just ridiculous. 

She really had felt bad about what had happened, and still did. He had not only saved her, but he had also brought her home without anything to gain. 'He really is a sweet man on the inside.' She thought to herself with a smile. 'Even if he does act tough a lot of the time. I hope this will work as a thanks, even if it _is_ meager.'

She wrung out the shirt and gave it a quick snap- like one would crack a whip- and examined it. She had made some progress; the once red stain was now a light orangeish color. Still, it wasn't completely out. Kazue sighed in exasperation.

"How hard can it be to get blood off a shirt???" she shouted, dunking it back in the water so forcefully that a good amount of the soapy liquid splashed her in the face. A throaty growl escaped her as she shook the suds from her hair. Slowly, she took a deep breath to calm herself, and wrung the shirt out again to have another look. As she turned it over, the design on the back caught her eye.

"What's this?" she asked, blinking. She flattened the shirt out across her lap to see the design more clearly. She traced the lines of the symbol with her finger. "It's pretty…I wonder what it means."

She squinted, attempting to decipher it. One thing she had never been very good at was kanji. Sure, she had learned it, but she always forgot the meanings, and it took forever to remember them. It wasn't nearly as simple as the English alphabet, nor the hiragana alphabet. It didn't help much that several different kanji could all look the same.

She traced it with her eyes, racking her brain in search of the meaning.

"Ak…_Aku_! Evil. It says evil." she said triumphantly, clapping her hands together. She raised an eyebrow at the shirt, a smirk lighting her face. "Sano sure likes acting like he's some sort of bad ass." She commented to no one, shaking her head and snickering. She stood, folded the shirt over her arm, and carried it to the line.

Then, just as she was about to hang it up, she froze. "Wait…evil?" She unfurled the shirt and looked at the design again, double-checking her translation. Yep, it was definitely "evil."

Then, suddenly, it hit her like a brick to the face. "Oh my God…" she said weakly, bringing her hand to her mouth. "The mark of evil…" Quickly she clumped the shirt up, obscuring her view of the _aku_ marking. A million thoughts started racing through her mind at once. 'There's no way…this can't be right…' she thought desperately. 'S-Sano's way too nice. There's no way in the world that he could be…_him_.'

'Damnit!' thought Sano as he headed for the front door. 'Why the hell didn't I think of that before?' As he went, he prayed that she hadn't seen the mark. Kazue was a little dense after all. Maybe she hadn't noticed it yet. Or maybe she couldn't read kanji. Any of those would do as long she didn't figure out what it said.

Upon reaching the door, he threw it open forcefully, intent on getting his shirt back before she saw the mark. He looked over at the washtub, and seeing no one there, looked about the yard. When he caught sight of her, Kazue was standing by the line, her body as rigid as a pole. She turned her eyes toward him. When he saw what filled them -confusion, panic, desperation- he realized with dismay that he was too late.

"Sanosuke…are you…?" She trailed off, her eyes pleading with him to tell her she was wrong. She had to be wrong. However, when Sano turned his eyes away from her, she knew she was right.

There wasn't even a warning that the tears were coming this time. Kazue could feel them sliding down her cheeks, dripping onto the clumped up shirt, which was wrung tightly in her hands.

And, not for the first time in her life, Kazue was speechless.

* * *

Well, here you go, chapter 7. We have officially reached the beginning of the climax! I wasn't at all pleased when I first wrote this up. It was awful! How that I've revised it…well, I'm still not all that pleased with it, but it's better than it was I suppose. ::sweatdrop:: 

As always, please R/R!


	9. Chapter 8: Crossroads

Hiya! It's me again, back with my 8th chapter. Sorry this took so long. I sort of kept putting it off.

One of the biggest reasons for this was because I was starting to get rather discouraged. I've been reading a lot of threads in forums discussing Mary-Sues, and have talked to two people so far, and I was very worried that Kazue was a Mary-Sue, hence the story wasn't a good one. Of course, I love this story, and I owe you guys for supporting me so much, so I'm going to finish.

I almost didn't update today even, thanks to some of today's occurrences, but since I finished it last night, I'll go ahead and put it up. Hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: Though I do own Rurouni Kenshin volumes 1-9, I don't have the rights to the series, sadly enough for me.

* * *

"Do you really think she's all right Kenshin?" Kaoru asked nervously. She looked over her shoulder in the direction of Kazue's room, even though the door could not be seen. It had been several hours since the girl had discovered the truth about Sanosuke, and she hadn't left her room since. Not a sound had come from the room, not even the slightly whimper or sob. 

"In all honesty Kaoru-dono, she's probably _not_ all right at the moment." Answered Kenshin. He and Kaoru both stood in the kitchen, Kenshin cooking dinner while Kaoru hung restlessly over his shoulder. Even during times like this, people had to eat, and Kenshin knew that. "It is possible she might be distressed for a while." He finished.

Kaoru bit her lip and turned her eyes away from Kenshin, looking back in the direction of the door. Apparently, that hadn't been what she'd wanted to hear.

"But I'm sure she will be fine." He added. "It may take a while. After all, Kazue-chan has just uncovered something about her life even she didn't know about. Her friend and enemy are the same man. It may take her a while for her to sort out her feelings on this situation."

He turned his head to the side, sending a reassuring smile Kaoru's way. "You shouldn't worry too much Kaoru-dono." He said, setting a hand on her shoulder. "Kazue-chan will come to terms with this in her own way, at her own time. We just have to be patient."

Kaoru sighed deeply. "I'll try." She responded, receiving a small smile from Kenshin in return. He removed his hand from her shoulder and went back to preparing the meal. Kaoru watched him work for a few minutes, and then picked up a vegetable knife joined him, attempting to take her mind off their present situation. Unfortunately, it didn't help much; it kept wandering.

It was a bit surprising actually. Kenshin, who had much more life experience than he should have had, was very good with words. The things he said could completely change a person's mood, or possibly their entire outlook on life (as it was with Yahiko). Usually, if Kenshin said something reassuring, it was calming to Kaoru. However, this was one of those times where it didn't work like it should have. Still, Kaoru commended him for trying.

* * *

Yahiko of course, hadn't been around for the little fiasco, nor had he been around when things were being explained. So, when it came to important matters such as this one, he was just like so many other ten-year-olds: he hardly had a clue what was going on. 

The only thing that he knew was that it had something to do with Sanosuke. Apparently, he'd done something to upset her.

He stared at the door, his nose wrinkled in disgust. No noise of any sort came from inside the room. Not even a whine or a whimper.

From Yahiko's experience with girls, he learned that on many occasions, they would cry about minute things. They would blow the most insignificant of things way out of proportion. Tsubame and Kaoru, for instance, were both guilty of it. Because of this little lesson in life, Yahiko assumed that that was the case with Kazue as well.

"Will you quite sulking!" Yahiko yelled angrily, glaring at the door as if he were shouting at it, and not the person behind it. "Whatever he did to you, it couldn't be _that_ bad." He waited for a response, and when none came, he growled in frustration.

"Answer me!" he shouted, taking a step forward. "Don't just pretend I don't exist!"

"You wouldn't understand Yahiko!" Kazue said weakly from inside, gulping. "You just…wouldn't understand."

"What wouldn't I understand about it?" Yahiko yelled back. "I'd understand just fine if somebody would tell me what's going on!"

Again, Yahiko waited for a response, and when none came again, he kicked the wall beside the door in frustration.

"Fine!" he shouted, walking down the hall, waving his hands in exasperation. "Go ahead and mope! See if I care!"

Then, the hallway was silent once again.

* * *

Sano, who was now at his home, leaned against the wall, looking out the window. Though the view was mostly taken up by the wall of the next building, he could see a little bit of the dark sky above it. He ran his hand through his hair, eventually stopping near his forehead. On his shoulders, his shirt still felt cold and damp. It hadn't completely dried yet. 

He sighed deeply, banging the back of his head against the wall. He'd really blown it this time. If only he'd known a few minutes earlier. Hell, a few seconds earlier would have worked too. If he'd known just a little bit earlier, he could have gotten the shirt away from her before she saw the writing on the back. If only he'd known.

Well, it was too late now. She knew that he was Zanza. He could still remember it vividly, seeing as it _was_ only that afternoon.

At first, she'd been speechless and unmoving, except for the tears dripping down her face. Then, her eyes had narrowed into a hateful glare. She'd thrown the waded up shirt at him and bolted inside the dojo, leaving her own gi and hakama in the washtub. He remembered hearing Kaoru's voice from inside the dojo, asking Kazue what was wrong. Then, the girl had locked herself away, and as far as he knew, was yet to come out.

At that moment, he hated himself. He'd always hated those who had picked on the weak. Now, knowing what he had done to Kazue, unintentionally or otherwise, he felt like a hypocrite.

'I wonder,' He thought to himself and he stood and moved to his sleeping mat. 'What happened to her and her mother after that? That can't be all of the story…'

* * *

Even as the sun began coming up the next day, Kazue still didn't leave. She sat in a corner of the room, watching the thin yellow light of the morning reflect against the far wall. It slowly darkened, signaling morning, and then afternoon. 

Raw, red streaks marked her face, the product of her silent tears. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her knees, as if letting go of them would send her plummeting off of the edge of the Earth. Then again, at the moment, that _was_ how it felt.

By now, she had realized that she'd reached a major crossroads, and she knew she had a decision to make. Unfortunately, neither of her options was very appealing.

Option one of course, was to kill Sanosuke…Zanza…whatever. Then he would be dead, and her revenge would be had. After that, she could start over and do her best to put everything behind her.

However, ironically, if she were to kill him, she couldn't start over. His blood, the blood of a friend, would forever be on her hands. Stains like that could never be wiped away. In other words, that option simply led to a dead end.

Her second option was to let Sanosuke live. However, she knew that if she did that, she could never live in peace. She would live out the rest of her life in misery, however long it may be. She would never truly feel at ease, knowing that she'd let the murderer Zanza get away unscathed. It would haunt her nightmares, tormenting her until death, and maybe even after.

Kazue swallowed and sniffed, feeling hopeless and defeated. No matter which of the two paths she took, she would never be happy. Happiness was too far beyond her now. How cruel fate was, letting her have that little taste of happiness, only to choke on the bitter aftertaste.

Slowly, she glanced about the room. It was the same as the day she had arrived in the dojo, but during the month that she'd lived there, it had become something more: it had become hers. She'd finally begun waking up in the morning and knowing exactly where she was. She'd begun to think of the futon as hers, the blankets as hers, the room as hers. She even dared to think of the dojo as her home.

She shut her eyes tightly, trying to decide what she would do. However, it was no easier with her eyes shut than it would have been otherwise. Then, she slowly opened them and looked towards her futon. All the blankets were piled at the foot end of it, concealing a small lump: the gun. Then, in the moment, she knew exactly what she was going to do.

She got to her feet and unsteadily trudged over to the futon. She dropped to her knees and reached under the it, pulling out the gun. She turned the weapon over in her hands. It had been a while since she had actually looked at it, so it seemed much more foreign than it should have. She noticed that there were still flecks of dried blood stuck to it.

She flipped open the chamber and looked inside. There were five bullets remaining within, just as there should have been. Perfect. That would be plenty enough. She put the gun in her pocket, and then began rolling up her futon and folding her blankets.

'I'll do it tonight.' She thought to herself, a few more tears sliding down her cheeks. 'The sooner I do, the less time I'll have to change my mind.'

* * *

Yahiko stretched his arms above his head, yawning loudly as he walked down the hall. He reached behind his head and pushed his elbow, successfully stretching out his arm. The day had been rather uneventful; everyone had gone about their business as usual, except for Kazue of course. She hadn't come out of her room the entire day, apparently still sulking. Yahiko shook his head at the thought. She was just being stupid now. 

The dojo was almost entirely silent by now, Kaoru and Kenshin having gone to bed earlier. The only noise that could be heard was the sounds that the sleeping residents made, which came from behind tightly closed doors.

Then, as he neared his own door, Yahiko paused, his ears perking. For a moment he'd thought he'd been imagining it, or maybe he was making the noise himself, but as he listened more carefully, he was sure of what he was hearing. The sound of footsteps came from somewhere else in the dojo. He turned his head in the direction of the sound, staring into the darkness behind him. He knew Kaoru and Kenshin were already sleeping, and Kazue was yet to leave her room…

The boy's eyes narrowed a moment, and then he slowly tiptoed back down the hallway. He reached out on both sides of him, and put the tips of his fingers on each wall. Hopefully, this would help him to know where he was going in the dark.

Soon, he felt the walls disappear from under his fingers, and he knew he'd reached the training hall. He tilted his head to the side and held his breath, listening. The footsteps were still very faint, apparently originating from another room further over. Still, they were there.

Slowly, silently, the boy reached behind him and placed his hand against the wall, searching for a shinai. Even though he knew the dojo like the back of his hand, it took him several minutes to find one in the dark.

He held the shinai tightly in his right hand, while using the other to guide him across the wooden wall. He stayed light on his feet, careful not to make as little noise as possible. He even took shorter, shallower breaths, as to keep from making sound. Then, as his fingers brushed against the paper of the door, he stopped and backed up. This was the only door out of the dojo, so whoever was sneaking around had to go through there to leave. A simple trap perhaps, but a good one nonetheless.

He held the shinai out in a ready position, and waited patiently. His muscles tensed up as he braced himself for what he was sure would be an interesting fight.

After only a few moments' wait, Yahiko noticed the sound of the footsteps coming closer. He tensed, gripping the hilt that much tighter.

He heard the footsteps enter the room. There was a weighty, uneasy pause, the person apparently accessing the situation and checking for threats. Finding none, the footsteps started up again.

They got closer and closer to Yahiko until they paused again. However, this time the figure was much closer. So close in fact, Yahiko could have reached out and touched the person with the tip of the shinai.

With a light scratching of wood against wood, the door opened. Light from the half moon poured into the room, illuminated the silhouette of the figure. Just as they were stepping through the opening, Yahiko pounced.

"Hold it right there!" he shouted, swinging the shinai at the figure, which screamed as it was struck in the ribs. Something fell from the figure's hand, bouncing against the wooden boards with a metallic clang.

"Yahiko?" gasped Kazue's surprised voice. "What are you doing?"

Yahiko's eyes widened, and a sweatdrop formed on the side of his head. "Oh." He said. "It's just you."

The boy looked down at the floor and saw that the thing Kazue had dropped, whatever it was, had broken. There was one large piece near the girl's foot, and five smaller pieces scattered about it. He knelt down, picked up a smaller piece, and was reaching for the largest piece when Kazue roughly shoved him away.

"No!" she yelped, her voice shaky and panicked. She dropped to her knees and picked up the larger piece, then hurriedly replaced the remaining small pieces.

Yahiko watched, confused, as the girl frantically worked to reassemble the object. He also noticed that she was made a point of keeping it in the shadows so that it could not be seen.

"What's going on?" he asked curiously.

Kazue didn't answer as she continued to put the object back together. Then, after she'd replaced the five smaller pieces, she snapped something back into place, deposited the in her pocket, and grew still.

Yahiko continued to stare, and finally asked, "What is that thing?"

This too, Kazue didn't answer. Instead, to Yahiko's shock, she reached out and embraced him, gulping back a sob. The boy's body went completely rigid and his eyes widened. Then, just as suddenly as she had embraced him, she let go.

"Bye Yahiko." She said simply, then stood and ran across the yard and out the gate.

Yahiko stared after her, confusion shining in his eyes. What was she so upset about?

He adjusted his grip on the object, feeling the cold surface in his palm, then stretched out his arm and held the object in the light. For the third time that night, Yahiko's eyes widened.

"Kenshin!" he shouted, jumping to his feet and dropping the shinai. "We have to stop Kazue! She's got a gun!"

* * *

::Is humming the tune to "Janie's Got a Gun".:: Well, that's chapter 8 people. I hope you guys liked it, even if the ending was a little…meh. As I always say, please R/R! 

And, like I say every chapter, please R/R!


	10. Chapter 9: Decision

::Waves:: Hello again readers. Thank you so much for your encouragement. It really helped me out.

I don't really have much to say preceding this chapter, except for one thing: A reader's response. ::claps hands together, shakes head:: I get to chapter 8 and I'm _finally_ giving one. Actually, come to think of it, I don't recall ever doing a reader response before. Wow. Three years and not a one. Well, anyway…

WhiteRabbit5- ::slaps forehead:: ah…I guess I didn't explain that part well enough. Gomen ne!

See, she actually never _did_ see the mark on the back of Sano's shirt. In fact, she had never seen him nor the back of his shirt until she met him at the dojo.

The day that her brother and father were found dead, it was already morning and Zanza was long gone. Kazue and her mother asked the man who owned bar what had happened. He told them that the two men had bought a fight from Zanza. Considering Zanza's fame, and the fact that the "evil" mark on his back was his trademark, Kazue learned of the mark pretty quickly. _That's_ why she doesn't recognize the shirt right away: because she's never seen it before. She's just been told about it. I threw that in during this chapter just to clear things up within the context of the story.

And now, with out further ado, Chapter 8.

Disclaimer: ::taps fingers together:: For those of you have been reading this whole story, you'll know I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. However, those pesky copyright laws insist I do this every chapter. ::grumbles::

* * *

Kenshin held the bullet in his open palm, analyzing it with narrowed eyes. The lanterns in the dojo had been lit, giving the now awake residents enough light to see by. Kaoru looked over Kenshin's shoulder, also examining the bullet. 

"You're sure she dropped this Yahiko?" Kenshin asked, turning toward the boy.

"I'm positive!" said Yahiko. "And she had more of them too!"

"Do you know how many more?" Kenshin asked, his voice remaining level and calm in contrast to Yahiko's.

The boy looked at the floor for a moment, trying to recall the memory. "I'm not sure. Four or five maybe." He replied.

Again, Kenshin glared at the bullet in his own palm.

"Kenshin…" said Kaoru, obviously afraid. "Do you think she's going after…?"

"This one's afraid so Kaoru-dono." Said Kenshin, already knowing what she was thinking. He pocketed the bullet and quickly headed for the door. "This one just hopes she hasn't gotten to him yet."

Yahiko watched, rather confused, as Kenshin rushed out of the dojo. When he was gone, the boy quickly turned to Kaoru for an explanation.

"Who is she going after?" questioned Yahiko. However, he wasn't completely oblivious. Even a child like himself could recognize links in a chain. "Is it Sanosuke?"

Kaoru's face twisted with worry. She walked up to the door and looked out into the blackness of the night. By now, Kenshin was long gone. Even in the almost complete silence, all she could hear was a light wind. Not even the faintest sound of footsteps reached her ears.

"I hope not Yahiko." She replied, wringing her sleeve tightly.

* * *

"Sanosuke!" Kenshin said loudly, knocking on the man's door, ignoring the splinters digging into his knuckles. When Kenshin had first arrived at the row houses, there were no signs of a struggle. Sano's door was shut tight, and there was no blood anywhere that the rurouni could see. However, this was the third time he had to knock, and he was beginning to get nervous. Maybe Kazue made a clean job of it. It wouldn't be hard if Sano's had been sleeping… 

Kenshin shook his head rapidly. He couldn't think like that. Sanosuke had survived plenty of fierce beatings before. He reached out and grabbed the door handle, deciding to let himself in. However, just as he did so, the door opened, sending him face first into the wooden floor with a shocked, "Oro?"

"Kenshin?" asked a drowsy voice. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Kenshin looked up from his place on the floor and let out a breath of relief. There was Sano, looking as healthy as ever, rubbing his eyes in a tired manner. Apparently, he'd been sleeping before Kenshin had come knocking.

"Sanosuke," started Kenshin, getting to his feet. "Has Kazue-chan been here tonight?"

Sano raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. "The kid?" he said incredulously. "No, she hasn't been around. Besides, the shape she's in right now, I'd be surprised if she came anywhere near me for a while yet."

Kenshin blinked a few times, and then looked down, thinking. He hadn't seen Kazue on the way there, which didn't make any sense. She'd lived in the underground before, so she was bound to know her way around better than Kenshin. If he had taken the fastest route, then he should have seen her on the way. If there were a different, faster route, she would already be here. Something wasn't right.

"Why did you think to look here anyway?" asked Sano, leaning lazily against the doorframe. "You know what's going on just as well as I do. You got amnesia or something?"

"No." replied Kenshin, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the bullet. He held it up for Sano to see. "Yahiko found her carrying this." He said, "A few minutes ago, she tried to sneak out of the dojo, but Yahiko stopped her. She dropped this before she ran off." He placed the bullet in Sano's hand, letting the man examine it more closely.

"This one had a suspicion," continued Kenshin, "that Kazue-chan was coming after you. However, this one didn't see Kazue-chan on the way here."

Sano paused, still staring at the bullet. This dragged on for a while, neither of the two men saying anything. Kenshin looked down again, continuing to ponder what might have been going on. Then, Sano finally broke the silence.

"Kenshin," he started. "The kid was pretty upset wasn't she?"

Kenshin nodded, not speaking. From the sound of it, Sano was on to something, and the rurouni wanted to hear him out.

"Remember a month ago, back when you first found her? You said she was trying to jump off a bridge," he continued. "She was pretty upset then too, right?"

Again, Kenshin nodded.

Sano wrapped his fingers into a fist, encompassing the bullet before shoving it in his pocket. "I don't think she's coming after me Kenshin." He said blatantly. He started to run down the grimy street, and Kenshin quickly followed.

"That's what this one was afraid of." Said Kenshin.

* * *

Just as Sano had expected, she was there. The two men could see her silhouette leaning against the railing, looking over the edge into the water below. One hand was dangling over the edge lazily, while the other was holding something to her head: the gun. 

"Kid!" called Sano as he came to a halt on the wooden bridge. The girl gasped, turning sharply towards him. As she did, Kenshin fell back, hiding himself among the shadows. He knew that having both of them there and visible might make Kazue feel too threatened, and if that were the case, she would simply pull the trigger. He was much more useful as a reserve. Since Kazue had an emotional connection to Sano, be it one-sided or not, he was the best bet to stop her.

From what Sano could see of Kazue's face, he could tell she was shocked. However, the shocked look quickly turned to one of hatred and loathing.

"What do you want?" she spat, pressing the barrel of the gun into the side of her head. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit busy here."

"Kid, calm down." Sano began as he started to walk cautiously toward her. He could tell she was desperate, and he knew he couldn't stall her for long. She was just like a wounded animal: alone and frightened, and ready to attack at any moment. He had to get the gun away from her soon.

"DON'T YOU COME NEAR ME!!" she screamed, pulling the gun from her head and turning it in his direction. She pulled the trigger twice, and two resounding boom filled the otherwise silent area. For a moment, Sano was sure he was hit. However, he soon realized that she had missed by quite a bit both times. Still, it was enough to get him to stop.

In the shadows, Kenshin's hand went to the hilt of his sword. He didn't want to hurt Kazue, but if worst came to worst and she tried to injure Sano, he had no choice. He wouldn't let her take the innocent with her.

Kazue's breaths came in short, quick gasps, making her fear all the more obvious. "Don't come near me." She repeated, this time more calmly. "I swear I will shoot you." Quickly, she replaced the gun back against her temple.

"Kid, why are you doing this?" asked Sano, holding completely still. She was still on edge, and he didn't dare move until she'd calmed down some.

"What other choice do I have?" she asked, glaring at him. "I can't exist in a world where you're alive, and I can't exist in a world where you're dead. Where I've killed you. I'd…I'd go insane in the least."

Kazue looked down at the ground, then slowly shook her head. To Sano's surprise, he could even detect a bit of snickering coming from her; mirthless snickering anyway.

"You bastard." She said, continuing to shake her head. "I just had to get to know you as Sano before I found out you were Zanza. I really can't believe I didn't notice it before." She slapped her forehead as if astonished by her own stupidity.

"I've always known about the mark of evil you carry. Ever since the manager of the tea house told us what it looked like, I've been watching for it. But somehow I was at the Kamiya Dojo for weeks and not once did I ever see it! I sort of wish I had now. This would be so much easier…"

Noticing that Kazue was somewhat relaxed, Sano chanced a cautious step forward. When Kazue failed to notice, he took another, then another. However, when one of the wooden boards creaked beneath his foot, it brought Kazue to full attention. Her entire body tensed again and her head shot up, her eyes widened to astounding proportions.

"I said…DON'T COME NEAR ME!" Within a moment, she'd whipped the gun away from her head and pointed it at him. Within another moment, she pulled the trigger. Sano felt the bullet whiz buy his ear, chopping off a piece of his hair. Another shot by on his other side.

His eyes widened in complete shock. She'd almost shot him. She'd really almost shot him. He looked towards her to see that her teeth were gritted angrily, and her eyes held something…insane. Savage almost.

'Shit…' he thought, stopping completely. 'She isn't joking around…'

He heard something in the shadows behind him shift, and he knew that Kenshin was preparing to strike. He threw his arm out to the side, trying to signal the rurouni to stay back. Apparently it worked, for the shadows became still once again.

'She's shot four bullets without reloading,' thought Sano, 'so she has to be using a revolver. The average revolver can only carry six bullets. Eventually, if she keeps shooting like she is, she's going to run out.'

"Stay away from me you fucking murderer!" she shouted, taking a threatening step towards him. "Not only did you kill my brother and father, but you brought Mama's death too! I don't want you anywhere near me with those blood drenched hands of yours!"

A long moment of silence followed, Sano watching her calmly, while Kazue glared at him with abhorrence.

"What happened to you and your mother?" Sano finally asked. He tried to seem as calm and as unthreatening as possible.

"Oh," said Kazue, her voice radiating a kind of hatred even she didn't know she was capable of. "You want to know the rest of the story? Fine. You deserve to know how much you fucked up my life."

* * *

::Looks around with shifty eyes:: Eh...heheh. Sorry about the cliffhanger readers. 

I really wanted to include the whole of her story in here, but then I looked at the page and word count, and realized this chapter was already pretty long. So, being the evil author that I am, I cut the chapter into two and decided to end this one right there. Don't worry though. Chapter 9 will be coming out very soon. Until then, please R/R!


	11. Chapter 10: Understanding

:waves: Hiya readers. Sorry this took as long as it did for me to write. I was hoping for it to take less time than this. :sweatdrops:

What really took a while was the editing process. Seeing as I've- thankfully- never been in Kazue's shoes, I had a hard time depicting her emotions correctly. I won't be surprised if you guys find some sort of problem with that.

Also something that bothered me was that this chapter is mostly just Kazue rambling. It does get a lot explained of course, but Kenshin and Sano don't have as big of a part as they should. I tried to fix this, but I soon found that I didn't even know how to start. So, this chapter ended up basically being my OC ranting. :sighs: Well, I hope the useful information makes it a little better.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Heck, I can't even afford the DVDs.

* * *

"After my father and brother died, we lost the shop." Said Kazue, beginning her retelling. "No one wanted to buy from Europeans like Mama and I. Some merchants wouldn't even _sell_ to us. It was only a month before all our money was gone. We sold everything we owned to get by, including our home." 

Kazue slowly lowered her eyes so she was no longer looking at Sano's face, but instead his torso. Though Sano couldn't see her eyes turn foggy and gray, he did notice her body relax and her voice calm slightly. He could tell she was going into another revere.

"We found the cheapest housing we could. Unfortunately, it was in the underground. The day we got there, we ripped up some floorboards, boarded up the windows, and made a bolt for the door."

Sano slowly nodded. 'Smart move.' He thought. He knew how rowdy some of the men in the underground got, even when they were completely sober.

"Mama had been looking for a job since my father and brother died," Kazue continued, "but her Japanese was so poor that no one could hire her. Not like they wanted to anyway."

Kazue sniffed and bit her lip. "When almost all our money was gone, Mama sat me down and told me…that she was going to work at the brothel. I remember she was crying when she told me. She was really, really afraid.

"Even though I was only twelve at the time, I knew what a brothel was. I remember begging her not to do it. I tried to think of an alternative, but we both knew that it was her only option.

"But I was pretty stubborn, so we made an agreement. If she could, she would work for only one man, because we knew about the horrible diseases brothel women caught. Mama was very pretty, even though she was European, so we thought it wouldn't be all that hard to find someone. Turns out, it wasn't."

Kazue's eyes narrowed decently and her face shown with anger. "We thought we were pretty lucky when Mama first found Ezakiya." She said, kicking at the boards bellow her feet.

"He was wealthy, which was definitely a good thing. Also, since he was among the high class, he really didn't want to go to the brothel because he was afraid of being seen. It worked out perfectly for Mama.

"But it didn't take long until we saw the true Ezakiya." Kazue gritted her teeth and slammed her free hand down on the railing. She gripped the wood tightly, as if trying to crush it between her fingers. Of course, it held firm.

"Everything went as well as we could have hoped for the first few weeks. Mama hated it when she had to go over there of course, but she never missed an appointment. The money wasn't worth her dignity, but it did keep us both fed. That's about all we could ask for in our situation. We even started saving up so that when we had enough, we could take a boat to Okinawa. That's where my father's family lived, and we thought that they might help us out, even if we were European. After all, we were still family.

"Then Ezakiya started paying Mama less than the amount they had agreed upon. With as much money as he cut from the payments, she would've gotten paid more if she'd worked out of the brothel house!

"Mama threatened to leave of course. She wasn't dumb. She knew when she was being cheated. But that bastard threatened her! He reminded her how he was a weapons merchant, and he could come up with anything to give her a torturous death."

Sano leaned forward the slightest bit to get a better look at Kazue. She was visibly shaking now, and he noticed that her voice was rather strained. At first, she remained still, trembling. Then, she slammed her fist down on the railing, making Sano recoil but an inch.

"And then the bastard had the nerve to make her come more often, and stay longer!" she yelled, slamming her fist down again. "She was completely stuck. She had no rights at all. The government wouldn't support her, and she knew it!"

Kazue sniffed, gulping. "She started stealing weapons from his home to get make money." She said, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "He would always have one of two laying around. Even if the weapons market was declining, it wasn't dead. They were still worth a lot, especially the guns. She would steal them before she left and bring them back home with her."

Kazue lifted the gun up and showed it to Sano. "This was the last one she ever brought home." She said, turning it so that the light from the moon reflected off of it, making it easier to see.

"It was worth a lot since it could shoot a bunch of bullets without having to be reloaded. Plus, it was fully loaded. Since bullets cost so much, that was even better. With the money it would bring it, we would finally have enough to ship off to Okinawa. But when Mama brought it home, she was completely terrified. She said…"

Again, Kazue stopped. She rubbed her eyes with her other sleeve, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall from them. With an angry whine, she kicked the railings, which caused her the majority of the pain.

"We should have left!" she screamed, punching herself in the forehead and grinding her knuckles against her skull. "We should have fucking left for Okinawa right when she got back! If we had…Goddamn it!"

She flipped back the hammer, getting ready to shoot.

"Wait Kid!" Sano said, waving his hands at her. "Calm down…"

"You shut up!" she screamed threateningly. "If you knew what I've been through, you'd know why I want to die!"

"If you finished your story," said Sano calmly, lowering his hands, "then I would know what you've been through."

Kazue paused a moment longer, giving him an odd, almost suspicious look.

"What did your mom say?" he asked, trying to nudge her back into her recollection.

"…she said…she'd been seen." Said Kazue, looking at the ground. "When she stole the gun, one of the servants saw her leave. At least, she thought they'd seen her.

"A few minutes after Mama got home, some men showed up and told her to come with them. She…didn't come back.

"The next morning, she still wasn't back. I went looking for her. I knew the way to Ezakiya's house, so I headed that way. On the way there…I saw a crowd gathered near the river. There was…someone in the…water…"

Eventually, she had to stop talking. She stared at the ground and tried to regain her composure. However, her tears had become too abundant, too heavy to hold back. After only a minute's resistance, she collapsed onto her knees and dropped the gun beside her. She covered her face with her hands and started sobbing.

Back at the dojo, she had done a lot of sobbing and crying. However, as anyone in the Kamiya dojo would tell you, her sobs were completely silent. This was different. This time, she'd gone into complete hysterics. Her sobs were much closer to screams of sorrow than traditional crying. From where he stood, Sano winced. Now, she was not only acting like a scared animal, but she sounded like one too, or a dying one.

'Her mother…was Akechi Erika.' Sano thought to himself. As soon as she'd said that her mother had become a whore for Ezakiya, he knew exactly who the woman was.

"Kid…Kazue…you killed Ezakiya, didn't you?" he asked.

At first, Kazue didn't respond, her cries of hysteria still full-blown. Though Sano was no traditionally patient, he waited. He looked at the gun beside her knee, wondering if he should chance rushing her. If he went fast enough, he could probably swipe it.

Then, as he looked at it, Kazue's finger tapped against it. "With his own weapon," she said, moving her hands from her eyes. Then, to Sano's surprise, her sobs moved seamlessly from cries of distress to insane sounding chuckles.

"This thing must have been worth a lot to him," she said, giggling to herself. "He gave his life for it!"

Sano stared at her, a mixture of shock and confusion on his face. She wasn't just sad. She wasn't just scared. She was disturbed, maybe even insane. He looked down at the gun again, mentally adding up the bullets she had used. She'd used four just now to shoot at him, and apparently one to shoot Ezakiya with. If the chamber could really only hold six, there was still one bullet inside.

'How do I get her to shoot that last bullet?' thought Sano. He knew that if he tried to move towards her, she probably wouldn't miss again.

Kazue put a hand against her face, shaking her head as her snickers began to die down.

"After I killed him, I realized that this was all Zanza's fault." She said, bringing Sano's attention back to her. "If Zanza hadn't killed my father and brother, Mama wouldn't have to become a whore, and she would still be alive today. I wanted to kill Zanza just as badly as I'd wanted to kill Ezakiya.

"Of course I had no idea where to find Zanza. I'd looked for him before, when Mama was still alive, and he had disappeared from the underground. I'd asked around, and everyone said he'd retired. Plus, no one would tell me where he was without payment. All we had was the money for Okinawa, and I didn't dare go near that.

"So, after I killed Ezakiya, I wandered for a few days. Eventually I ended up here." Kazue gestured about her, indicating the bridge. "This was the river they threw Mama in after all. I stood here for hours, just staring at it. I kept thinking that maybe her spirit was still trapped in the water. I thought if that was the case, and I drown, maybe I could see her again. I wouldn't be alone anymore. It's all pretty foggy."

From his unmoving position in the shadows, Kenshin narrowed his eyes. 'So,' he thought to himself, '_that's_ what Kazue-chan was trying to do…'

"That plan fell through when Himura-sama caught me though." She said, leaning against the railings to prop herself up. "When I got my head on straight, I started looking for Zanza again. But of course," Kazue threw a hand in his direction, gesturing to him haphazardly. "Zanza had to turn out to be _you_! And I can't possibly kill _you_. You're Sano. I care about Sano. I can't kill Sano.

Slowly, Kazue reached down and picked up the gun. Then, just as slowly, she got to her feet.

"It's not fair…" she mumbled to herself. "It's not fair…" She raised the gun to her head once again. She looked up and stared him directly in the eye. Her face seemed strangely apathetic. "It was never fair." Then, she pulled the trigger.

* * *

:looks: Hm. What do you know? I ended another chapter on a cliffhanger. Whoops. 

Don't fret though. Everything will be cleared up in the next chapter. Why? Because the next chapter is the last. That's right. The stories almost over.

In fact, all three of my chapter stories are headed for their finale. I've updated each one so that only the last chapter remains. These last chapters will all be posted on the same day, completing them all in one swipe.

Well, that's all for me. Please R/R!


	12. Chapter 11: Hope

:waves: Hiya everybody! Well, I'm finally back with the last chapter! That's right; Layers of the Soul is finally coming to its dramatic conclusion. Sorry it took so long to put this up, but I had to do a few more things than I normally do before getting it posted. Since I decided to finish all my stories on the same day, I had to write and edit all of them before any could be posted.

It didn't help that I had a small case of writer's block over the weekend. Well, it was actually less of a writer's block and more of a lack of enthusiasm. In the time it took for me to get back to writing this, I'd written up two new songfics, and typed up six poems to post on Fictionpress. Anyway, there was something about working on them and listening to the song, "Lovin' Every Minute" that got me back into my stride.

Now, I have one more thing to say before you get to the story. Here is where I bore you with my reflecting. Be patient, it'll be short.

As with most authors, I believe my work could be improved upon. Also, as with most stories, it probably can. However, I have surprisingly few regrets when it comes to this story.

It has helped me develop my writing style and formation, and it also helped me write a lot more than I use to be able to. Before this story, I believed that 1000 words a chapter was just right. Talk about lazy, right?

Thanks to this story, and to you guys, I'm now much more confident in my writing abilities and can go on to write even better stories. For this, I thank you all.

Disclaimer :sniffs: All right, this is the last time I'll have to say this…:gulps: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin:breathes deeply: Thank goodness. I won't have to say that anymore.

Now, without further ado, the 11th and final chapter of Layers of the Soul!

* * *

Click. 

Kazue's eyes shot open at the sound. Her jaw dropped, and she could have sworn she felt her heart murmur a bit. She pulled the trigger again, hoping against hope that it would work. Again, 'click' was all that was heard. No shot, no bullet, nothing.

For a moment, everything was silent, each of the three people present reacting their own way. Kazue was all but drowning in disbelief, while Sano's mind was shrouded with confusion. Kenshin too, gawked in bewilderment, unsure if his vision was working correctly.

Then, as the moment ended, Kazue's disbelief was replaced with panic. She frantically- and rather clumsily- forced open the chamber of the gun. To her horror, all of the bullets were gone.

"No!" she screamed hysterically. "I had six bullets! Where's the sixth one!" She snapped the barrel back into place and pulled the trigger several more times, even though she new what she would be met with. Sure enough, each time, she was met with the same stubborn clicking noise.

While Kazue was a frantic as she was, Sano and Kenshin were finally able to take a breath.

"I have it Kid," said Sano, pulling it out of his pocket and holding it up. Immediately, Kazue whipped around to face him, and her face took on a look of complete horror.

"You dropped it back at the dojo," said Kenshin, sheathing his sword and stepping out of the shadows. "Yahiko picked it up after you dropped that gun."

Kazue's eyes darted to look at Kenshin, then Sanosuke, then back and forth a few times. Slowly, she started shaking her head and took several steps backwards.

"What…what is wrong with you?" Kazue asked weakly, looking at Sano in particular. She held out a hand and pointed at him, her voice and actions filled with disbelief and helplessness. Her other hand, which was shaking terribly, let the gun drop the ground. "You destroy my life, and then you won't even allow me to die in peace? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

She planted herself back against the railing, looking almost fearful. She turned and attempted to climb over the railing, a last, desperate effort to finish what she had started. However, she was quickly stopped by an arm reaching out in front of her, blocking her from a watery grave.

"Sorry kid," she heard Sano say. Then, something smashed into her stomach, sending pain shooting through every present nerve. Her head lurched forward, the wind knocked from her lungs. She coughed once, and then everything went black.

Kenshin caught Kazue as she slid backwards off the railing, albeit with a bit of difficulty. Sano blinked at the girl in surprise, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't even hit her that hard," he commented, massaging his knuckles a bit. "She's even weaker than I thought."

"The stress on her probably had something to do with it too." Commented Kenshin, doing his best not to drop her. Even if she looked lanky, her weight didn't mirror it.

The two of them stood there a moment, trying to access the situation. Neither spoke, the sloshing of the river the only sound they heard. 'What will happen from here?' thought Kenshin. 'If Kazue-chan has tried this two times, will she try it again?'

"Missy's probably losing her mind," commented Sano, suddenly breaking the silence. He looked off in the direction of the dojo. "She'll probably lynch us if we don't hurry up and get back."

Kenshin nodded. "Probably best to get Kazue-chan away from here before she wakes up." Kenshin paused for a moment, thinking. "How do we go about getting her there?"

Sano blinked, then took Kazue and unceremoniously threw her over his shoulder. "Problem solved," He said as he started walking away.

"Oro?" Kenshin said, a sweatdrop atop his head. Then, after a moment's pause and a shake of his head, he followed. As he did, he hooked his foot around the side of the gun- which still lie on the ground- and gently slid it into the water. The quiet splash of water that followed held a bit of finality to it, but Kenshin knew they weren't through yet. There was still the matter of preventing another such situation, and that was probably going to be the hardest part of all.

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, just as the birds began to sing the sun into the sky, a scream of terror and bewilderment echoed through the still air of the Kamiya dojo. Sanosuke's eyes snapped open at the sound, and a groan soon followed. 

"Why does this kid have to wake up so early?" he griped, rubbing his forehead.

"You must have hit Kazue-chan pretty hard, Sanosuke," said Kenshin, who was already awake. The two were in Kenshin's room, where they had spent the evening. From looking at them, anyone could tell that they were in much different spirits. Kenshin, his back straight and rigid, was probably far from being at ease. Sanosuke however, who was slouched over and yawning, was the exact opposite.

"Whatcha mean?" asked Sano, stretching.

"This one is just surprised at how long she was able to sleep." Kenshin responded, giving Sano calm smile. From outside, the two could hear Kazue trying to force the door to her room open. However, since they had wedged a broom handle into the door's track the night before, it most likely wouldn't be moving any time soon.

Sano and Kenshin looked toward the door of the room they were in presently, then to each other.

"What's the plan?" asked Sano, brushing some loose strands of hair out of his eyes. Kenshin shook his head.

"This one isn't sure," responded Kenshin. "We have to calm her down someone, that's all this one knows."

The two looked down at the floor, both of them thinking. Outside, the rustling continued, accompanied by the sound of footsteps. Apparently, Kazue had gained Kaoru and Yahiko's attention. Abruptly, Sanosuke stood up and thrust one of his hands into his pocket.

"I'll take care if it," he said, turning towards the door. Kenshin blinked at the taller man.

"Are you sure?" he asked, sounding slightly doubtful. Try as he might, he couldn't see Sano as the type to give advice or comfort. However, Sano nodded nonetheless.

"I think I can calm her down," he said, opening the door and stepping out.

By now, Kaoru and Yahiko were standing at the door of Kazue's room. Kaoru was looking a little nervous, while Yahiko was doing his best to move the broom handle. Unfortunately for him, his best didn't exactly get him anywhere.

Sano shook his head, and with one hand reached over and pulled it from the track. Almost simultaneously, Kazue threw the door open, nearly losing her balance. Apparently, she'd been propping her whole weight against it.

When she saw the three people standing before her, she froze in place, her eyes wide and staring. Apparently, from the looks of her, she hadn't had a very good sleep. Her hair was tangled into a knot atop her head, flopping over at odd angles. Her gi was slipping off one shoulder, and her wide eyes were practically bloodshot. In a way, she looked like some sort of rabid hobgoblin. She slouched down and took a step back into the room, away from them.

"Kazue-chan…" Kaoru said gently. The younger girl turned to her, a strange mixture of sadness and caution on her face.

Sano looked over his shoulder at the two behind him. "I'll talk to her," he said simply. "Don't get worked up." Then, he looked back at Kazue, slowly taking a step forward. Just as he guessed, she backed up.

As he stepped into the room, he closed the door behind him, leaning back against it lightly. He didn't hear Kaoru or Yahiko leave, so he assumed they were still standing there, listening. If his guess was right, Kenshin was probably out there too. After all, these walls weren't all that thick.

"You okay Kid?" Sano asked, his voice no longer holding the cautious tone that it had the night before. Now, his voice was relaxed and level, the way it always was.

Kazue backed up against the far wall, glaring at him. "Stay away from me…" she commanded, her fingers squeezing the wood for some sort of handhold. Sano nodded and, as Kazue had instructed, didn't come near her.

Kazue stared at him for a moment, as if sizing him up. When she was certain he wasn't about to leap at her and rip off her head, she spoke. "Why did you stop me? Why didn't you just leave me alone?"

Sano smiled and chuckled to himself. "Just call me a sucker I suppose." He said, shrugging. "I couldn't let you do that to yourself is all. Didn't seem right, you going killing yourself because of Zanza, especially when it wasn't necessary."

"Don't give methat." She hissed, glaring at him.

"We're a lot alike you know," said Sano, ignoring Kazue's previous comment. "I didn't realize it 'till you told me your whole story, but we do have a lot in common."

"Like what?" Kazue snapped. "I'm not some psychotic murderer."

Sano raised an eyebrow, giving her a strange look. He was tempted to say, "Yes you are," but realized that it probably wouldn't help the present situation. Instead, he shook his head. "That's not what I meant." he said, "I was talking about our pasts."

"Hmph," said Kazue, crossing her arms over her chest. "Like you can actually understand what I've been through." She said. However, despite her words, Sano could sense a bit of curiosity in her voice.

"Of course I can," he responded, running a thumb along his forehead. He held up his fingers and started counting them off as he spoke.

"Your parents were killed by circumstances beyond your control. My captain was killed by circumstances beyond _my_ control.

"Your mother had to work as a whore, and your family name was tarnished. My captain was dubbed the leader of the false army, and my name was tarnished.

"We were both left alone to fend for ourselves. You drowned yourself in your revenge, while I drowned myself in fighting."

He looked up at Kazue, whose features had changed slightly. She blinked her eyes in obvious surprise. However, she quickly shook herself out of it. "So?" she asked, "What are you trying to prove?"

"That you don't have to kill yourself," Sano responded bluntly. Even though the answer was frank and simple, it left Kazue even more confused than she had been before she'd asked. Sano, who saw this, took this opportunity to continue.

"A few years ago, I bought a fight with a patriot. He was legendary, but I was sure I could take him. It was sort of an act of liberation, but it was more for revenge than anything."

Sano shut his eyes, smiling to himself. "I over estimated myself though. He beat me bloody, and then some. The doctors said I was lucky, and that I should have died. What they don't know is that I actually _did_ die."

Kazue stared at him, eyebrows raised in surprise and confusion. "What?" was all she could say, and with a certain level of exasperation.

"Well, _I_ didn't die. Zanza did though."

"Wait, wait, wait…Zanza's dead?"

Sanosuke nodded and smiled at her. "Yep. It was a rebirth sort of thing. All that's left is Sano now."

As Sano spoke, something clicked into place in Kazue's mind, and the gears slowly started to turn. She put a hand to her forehead, trying to let this theory sink it. Of course, it wasn't nearly good enough. Her family was still dead, and there was nothing that could bring the dead back to life. Still, say Sano had really been reborn; there was no reason for her to die, even though this was the fate she had chosen for herself. Maybe, with this knew insight, she might be able to escape her decision. In simpler terms, this was one hell of a loophole.

However, Sano wasn't quite finished talking yet.

"I think the same thing happened to you," he continued. "Last night, when you pulled that trigger, you didn't die, but that one part of you did. That part of you that wanted revenge so bad."

Slowly, the bewildered Kazue looked up at him, obviously confused and unsure. She was probably having trouble believing him, and Sano didn't blame her. After all, how was she supposed to accept that without question? Sano would have doubted her stability even further if she had.

"Come out whenever you feel like it," he said, turning around and opening the door. Kaoru, Yahiko, and Kenshin, who all had their ears to the door, nearly lost their balance, but quickly stood up and gave Sano sheepish smiles. The taller man blinked, a sweatdrop forming on the side of his head. He sighed, and then turned back to Kazue.

"These weirdoes will probably want to talk to you themselves, so don't stay in here too long, okay?" And with that last thought, the man stepped through the door and closed it, leaving the overwhelmed Kazue to pull herself together.

* * *

Starting that day, time began to pass quickly again, seemingly returning to its old speed. Days went by just as swiftly as the always had. Those days began to turn into weeks, and soon enough, an entire month had passed. The residents all kept an eye on Kazue, watching as she slowly regained some stability. After her episode of insanity, they were all on their toes. However, she didn't display such madness again. Then, roughly one month after the incident, Kazue finally made an important decision. 

Early that morning, she up and disappeared, leaving no note and not telling anyone where she had gone. Just as the group had begun to worry for her safety, she'd reappeared through the gate. She was covered in dirt from head to toe, an equally dirty and somewhat rusted box clutched at her side.

"It's the money we were saving for Okinawa," she'd said, showing them the inside of the box. Sure enough, the box was filled with money. "Mama and I buried it where we'd ripped up the floorboards. I never thought about going back for it until now.

"I…I'm going to go to Okinawa. Like I told Sano, my father's family lives there. Mama and I might not have been their favorite people, but we're still family. I'm pretty sure they'll help me out."

Now, several hours later, the group stood on the dojo's walkway while Kazue stood on the ground before them, now much cleaner than she had been that morning.

"Thank you so much for taking care of me," Kazue said earnestly, bowing. The contents of the box shifted and rattled about inside. "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble…" she trailed off, not yet standing up. Her shoulders were hunched slightly.

"Not at all Kazue-chan," said Kenshin, waving his hands as if to brush the comment away. "Trouble seems to enjoy knocking at this door."

From either side of him, Kaoru and Yahiko both grabbed one of his cheeks, stretching them out.

"And whose fault is that?" they asked him. Sano, Kenshin, and Kazue all sweatdropped.

"Well," said Kazue, rubbing the back of her head. "Still, thanks for putting up with me for as long as you did."

She looked up at all of them, forcing a smile onto her face. "I'm going to miss you guys." She bowed deeply once more, sniffing. It didn't take a genius to tell that she was about to start crying. "I hope I get to see you guys again."

"We'll look forward to it." Said Kaoru, smiling. Of course, all five of them knew that the chances of them ever meeting again were very slim. An entire sea separated Okinawa from the mainland, almost as if Okinawa were a completely different country. Though it was likely that Kazue would return to Tokyo at some point, it could be years from now, decades even. With the way life panned out for the Kenshin-gumi, it wasn't certain they'd even _be_ in Tokyo when that time came. However, they could still hope. There was always hope.

Kazue nodded in response. "Well…goodbye." She said, and then quickly turned away. As she walked toward the gate, she put her hand up in the air and waved goodbye to them.

"Do you guys think she'll be all right?" Kaoru whispered as Kazue reached the gate. The men's faces too on a look of uncertainty as each of them considered how to answer. None of them could really know of course, and at this point, even guessing was difficult. She was still recovering from her attempted suicide, she wasn't entirely stable, and her life wasn't yet on track. Even though she had made it over her most recent hurtle, there were so many things that could still go horribly wrong for her. Knowing this, none of them were sure how to answer Kaoru's question. Fortunately for them, a moment later, Kazue answered the question for all of them.

As she stepped through the gate, Kazue turned and looked at the group one last time. From where they stood, they could see that tears were streaming in torrents down the girl's face. They were easily visible, glittering in the mid-afternoon sun. More noticeable however, was the smile. It wasn't a weak, forced smile. It was sincere and thankful. Not just that, but it showed a happiness they'd never seen from her before, even in her most cheerful moments there. Apparently, whatever had kept her from smiling a genuine smile before had disappeared. And then, the gate shut, and she was gone.

After another moment, Kenshin turned to Kaoru with a smile on his own face. "I think so Kaoru-dono," he answered. On Kenshin's other side, Yahiko nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, that rock head is too stubborn to mess up again," he commented.

"The kid'll be fine." Sano added, stretching his arms out. "So, who's making lunch?"

* * *

Well readers, there you have it: the conclusion to Layers of the Soul. How was it? Too sappy? Too unrealistic? I really thought so. I was rather disappointed in myself for this ending, for I don't think I did it justice. :sigh: Well, you do what you can I suppose. 

However, overall, this turned out just the way I wanted it. It's much longer than any of my previous stories, and in my opinion, much better and more thought out. This chapter alone is over 3000 words (without the author's notes), and is nine pages long, which is quite a feat for me.

I thank all of you so much for seeing this through 'til the end. I especially thank those of you that left reviews for me. You were what kept me writing this and kept me going. Plus, you helped me make the story that much better.

Usually when I get a lot of reviews, I get nervous about not doing well enough and letting my readers down. This is what happened with Left in the Dark, which was put on hiatus for quite a while, losing me some readership. However, I knew no reader deserves that, especially when they are as supportive of a bunch as you guys.

For being such great people and helping me so much, I'm dedicating this story to all of you:

RabidTurtle

WhiteRabbit5

Gaby(hyatt

Telly

Bunnyfluff

And anyone else who read my story.

Love you guys, and again, thank you. As Kazue says, "I hope I get to see you guys again." Sayonara!

Sincerely,

Animeangelash


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